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(meteorobs) KS USA report on Aug 11/12 - Avg year impression
I went camping with 2 inexperienced observers and one novice in the
Mined Land Wildlife Area of extreme SE Kansas SW of Pittsburg KS
night of maximum (Sat/Sun).
Leaving the KC metro area went S 135 miles to remote camping site,
but toward a stationary front lingering E-W across central AR & OK.
At the end of evening twilight we sat up facing due E across a large
strip mine quarry, with vision obscured by trees from 70 degree high
across the W horizon. We saw 7 to 9 meteors each, my count was
8 with 6 Perseids and 2 sporadics in 22 min. before fast low clouds swept
in and eliminated observing for a long period of time.
Highlight of the evening "grazer" session was 2 Perseids approx. 20 sec.
apart followed by a right angle to the Perseid's paths mag. 2 bluewhite
sporadic
less than 5 sec. after the 2nd Perseid. These were the first
3 meteors at 941-2 pm, 11 minutes or so into the session, and quite a show
to the others! Clouds ended their viewing on a rather short note after that
while I set the alarm for hope later in the night.
That was it for the other observers, my daughters 2nd viewing of the Perseids
(1999 was her first observing ever,) she was 9 and saw 8 meteors as well, her
novice 11 year old camping girlfriend saw 9 and was sharp-eyed on her first
meteor watch ever. Jill, my fiance saw 7 in about 20 min. quitting a bit
earlier.
(Also a 1999 Perseid watcher). Zenithal Star was 6.3.
At 0115, the clouds were again withdrawing S-ward as the front fluctuated
across Oklahoma. While being 3/4 cloudy I witnessed through a large open
tent window facing the low rising moon a -4 orange terminal burst Perseid,
with about a 7 sec. train (moonlight washed it out fast). That got me
interested
in trying another observation period and at 148 after a couple of random more
Perseids got the following counts in - zs 5.2 0148-0218 CST 8 Perseids looking
S with the same visibility restrictions as the eve. count, and 4/10 cloud
cover
as well, and 0218-0248 zs- 5.0 9 Perseids, 1 Iota Aquarid, 1 NDA, 2 S avg. 50%
cloud cover that session. As in the couple early eve. brighter ones the
predominent color I saw this year was certainly orange.
I think 40 Perseids an hour even with the moon in 100% horizon cloudless
skies were certainly possible given the strength of what I saw.
I regard it as slightly better than 1999. Meteors were longer and brighter
on the avg. but less real bright ones (neg. mag.). This is 34 square miles of
government wildlife area that can be accessed for its dark sky location for
observers from several large metro areas around it. Will be a regular event
from here on out.
Perseids again indicated a tendency to clump abit, including at least one
triple, and several 2 within seconds pairings.
My strongest showers EVER have been the 1981 Perseids with 165 hr.,
that year had three green ones brighter that Jupiter with limiting mag.
2, then 1, as twilight was extreme before sunrise near the radiant within
4 or 5 minutes. Then the 1998 Leonids, followed by the 1990 Quadrantids
from mountains just NW of San Diego, when rates went nuts for just
about 90 minutes around 215-345, first time I had seen a sharp peak like
that.
Other notes are I am gambling on SW USA skies this coming Nov, will be
mobile with RV/camp gear originating from Albuq. NM or Garden City KS
for a wide radius of avail skies if we need to run.
Regards
Bert Matous
Overland Park KS
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