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(meteorobs) Leonids, 18 Nov, near Pecos, Texas
Leonids, 2001 November 17/18 (i.e., Sunday November 18 UTC and CST)
Due to the way the weather prospects for looked on Saturday morning,
I backed out of the planned trip to Arizona and instead ended up
driving about 550-600 kilometers to west Texas. I'm really glad
that the sky turned out better than I had feared for everyone who
did go to AZ. Central Texas was poor, but some folks here did see
a few Leonids through small holes in the overcast.
Observer: Ed Cannon
Date: November 17/18, 2001 (actually all observations on Nov. 18)
Observing Sites: Near (SE of the town of Pecos, Reeves County, Texas
Location 1 -- (31.3N, 103.3W); HT=800m
Location 2 -- (31.3N, 103.4W); HT=800m
(LOC 2 was several kilometers west of LOC 1.)
Facing northeast throughout, about 60 degrees above horizon
Teff = 1.85 - Times were taken using WWV radio.
F = 1.00
Note: Apparently there was fog throughout which rapidly grew much
thicker near 11:00. I did not notice the fog's gradual thickening
until I took a break at 11:00. For most of the period it was calm
and mild; near the end of period I noticed a chilly breeze and
later thought that must have been when the fog was thickening.
Summary
Period (UT) Teff F LM LEO SPO LOC COMMENT(S)
----------- ----- --- --- --- --- --- ----------
9:00- 9:18 0.267 1 5.9 57 7 1
9:43-11:00 1.283 1 5.6 950 19 2 thick fog near 11:00
11:01-11:19 0.200 1 4.0 81 0 2 a lot of fog
11:21-11:31 0.100 1 3.0 25 0 2 even more fog
Overall Totals
Period (UT) Teff F LM LEO SPO LOC COMMENT(S)
----------- ----- --- --- --- --- --- ----------
9:00-11:31 1.850 1 var 1113 26 var
Details
Location 1
At start, I counted 12 stars in Auriga (IMO LM field #17).
Period (UT) FOV Teff LM F LEO SPO
----------- -------- ----- ---- --- --- ---
9:00-9:03 7:40,+47 0.050 5.91 1 10 0
9:03-9:06 7:40,+47 0.050 5.91 1 3 2
9:06-9:07 7:40,+47 0.017 5.91 1 3 0
9:07-9:08 7:40,+47 0.017 5.91 1 9 2
9:08-9:09 7:40,+47 0.017 5.91 1 2 0
9:09-9:10 7:40,+47 0.017 5.91 1 5 0
9:11-9:12 7:40,+47 0.017 5.91 1 4 1
9:12-9:13 7:40,+47 0.017 5.91 1 3 2
9:13-9:14 7:40,+47 0.017 5.91 1 3 0
9:14-9:15 7:40,+47 0.017 5.91 1 2 0
9:15-9:16 7:40,+47 0.017 5.91 1 10 0
9:17-9:18 7:40,+47 0.017 5.91 1 3 0
---------- -------- ----- ---- --- --- ---
0.267 5.91 57 7
Location 2
Note: I decided to leave location 1 after thinking for a few
minutes about the sign there that said something close to this:
"CAUTION! Potential lethal poison gas hazard!" (I had ended
up in an area of active oil/natural gas well-drilling and
could hear the sound of drilling somewhere in the distance.)
Session 1: 9:43 through 11:00 -- continuous, no breaks.
At start, I counted 11 stars in Auriga triangle, IMO field #17.
Just after the end of this period, I discovered that I could
see only 6 stars in the same field. So I have attempted to
estimate the gradual deterioration of LM near the end of the
period.
Period (UT) FOV Teff LM F LEO SPO
----------- -------- ----- ---- --- --- ---
09:43-09:44 8:23,+47 0.017 5.6 1 4 2
09:44-09:45 8:24,+47 0.017 5.6 1 10 0
09:45-09:46 8:25,+47 0.017 5.6 1 7 0
09:46-09:47 8:26,+47 0.017 5.6 1 9 0
09:47-09:48 8:27,+47 0.017 5.6 1 5 0
09:48-09:49 8:28,+47 0.017 5.6 1 4 0
09:49-09:50 8:29,+47 0.017 5.6 1 8 0
09:50-09:51 8:30,+47 0.017 5.6 1 3 0
09:51-09:52 8:31,+47 0.017 5.6 1 7 0
09:52-09:53 8:32,+47 0.017 5.6 1 7 0
09:53-09:54 8:33,+47 0.017 5.6 1 6 0
09:54-09:55 8:34,+47 0.017 5.6 1 5 0
09:55-09:56 8:35,+47 0.017 5.6 1 6 2
09:56-09:57 8:36,+47 0.017 5.6 1 6 0
09:57-09:58 8:37,+47 0.017 5.6 1 8 1
09:58-09:59 8:38,+47 0.017 5.6 1 7 0
09:59-09:60 8:39,+47 0.017 5.6 1 7 0
10:00-10:01 8:40,+47 0.017 5.6 1 8 0
10:01-10:02 8:41,+47 0.017 5.6 1 13 0
10:02-10:03 8:42,+47 0.017 5.6 1 14 2
10:03-10:04 8:43,+47 0.017 5.6 1 10 0
10:04-10:05 8:44,+47 0.017 5.6 1 17 0
10:05-10:06 8:45,+47 0.017 5.6 1 16 0
10:06-10:07 8:46,+47 0.017 5.6 1 9 1
10:07-10:08 8:47,+47 0.017 5.6 1 15 0
10:08-10:09 8:48,+47 0.017 5.6 1 11 0
10:09-10:10 8:49,+47 0.017 5.6 1 12 1
10:10-10:11 8:50,+47 0.017 5.6 1 12 0
10:11-10:12 8:51,+47 0.017 5.6 1 15 0
10:12-10:13 8:52,+47 0.017 5.6 1 10 0
10:13-10:14 8:53,+47 0.017 5.6 1 7 0
10:14-10:15 8:54,+47 0.017 5.6 1 18 0
10:15-10:16 8:55,+47 0.017 5.6 1 13 0
10:16-10:17 8:56,+47 0.017 5.6 1 12 0
10:17-10:18 8:57,+47 0.017 5.6 1 9 0
10:18-10:19 8:58,+47 0.017 5.6 1 14 0
10:19-10:20 8:59,+47 0.017 5.6 1 15 1
10:20-10:21 9:00,+47 0.017 5.6 1 18 0
10:21-10:22 9:01,+47 0.017 5.6 1 10 0
10:22-10:23 9:02,+47 0.017 5.6 1 10 0
10:23-10:24 9:03,+47 0.017 5.6 1 13 0
10:24-10:25 9:04,+47 0.017 5.6 1 15 0
10:25-10:26 9:05,+47 0.017 5.6 1 17 0
10:26-10:27 9:06,+47 0.017 5.6 1 19 0
10:27-10:28 9:07,+47 0.017 5.6 1 17 0
10:28-10:29 9:09,+47 0.017 5.6 1 12 0
10:29-10:30 9:10,+47 0.017 5.6 1 16 0
10:30-10:31 9:11,+47 0.017 5.6 1 8 0
10:31-10:32 9:12,+47 0.017 5.6 1 18 0
10:32-10:33 9:13,+47 0.017 5.6 1 22 1
10:33-10:34 9:14,+47 0.017 5.6 1 15 0
10:34-10:35 9:15,+47 0.017 5.6 1 10 0
10:35-10:36 9:16,+47 0.017 5.6 1 7 2
10:36-10:37 9:17,+47 0.017 5.6 1 14 2
10:37-10:38 9:18,+47 0.017 5.6 1 13 0
10:38-10:39 9:19,+47 0.017 5.6 1 21 0
10:39-10:40 9:20,+47 0.017 5.6 1 25 0
10:40-10:41 9:21,+47 0.017 5.6 1 11 0
10:41-10:42 9:22,+47 0.017 5.5 1 10 0
10:42-10:43 9:23,+47 0.017 5.4 1 13 1
10:43-10:44 9:24,+47 0.017 5.3 1 10 0
10:44-10:45 9:25,+47 0.017 5.2 1 12 0
10:45-10:46 9:26,+47 0.017 5.2 1 18 0
10:46-10:47 9:27,+47 0.017 5.1 1 18 0
10:47-10:48 9:28,+47 0.017 5.0 1 13 1
10:48-10:49 9:29,+47 0.017 4.9 1 14 0
10:49-10:50 9:30,+47 0.017 4.8 1 14 2
10:50-10:51 9:31,+47 0.017 4.8 1 12 0
10:51-10:52 9:32,+47 0.017 4.7 1 16 0
10:52-10:53 9:33,+47 0.017 4.6 1 9 0
10:53-10:54 9:34,+47 0.017 4.5 1 20 0
10:54-10:55 9:35,+47 0.017 4.4 1 11 0
10:55-10:56 9:36,+47 0.017 4.4 1 19 0
10:56-10:57 9:37,+47 0.017 4.3 1 16 0
10:57-10:58 9:38,+47 0.017 4.2 1 22 1
10:58-10:59 9:39,+47 0.017 4.1 1 17 0
10:59-11:00 9:40,+47 0.017 4.0 1 13 0
----------- -------- ----- ---- --- --- ---
1.283 1 950 19
Session 2 at Location 2, anecdotal due to very poor LM, but
obviously Leonids still going strong
Five-minute totals
Period (UTC) Teff LM F LEO SPO
------------ ----- --- - --- --
11:01-11:09# 0.083 3.6 1 35 0
11:09-11:14 0.083 3.2 1 28 0
___________
# Three-minute break
Three-minute total
Period (UTC) Teff LM F LEO SPO
------------ ----- --- - --- --
11:14-11:19* 0.033 3.1 1 18 0
----- --- - --- --
Totals 0.200 81 0
___________
* Two-minute break
Session 3 at Location 2, anecdotal due to very poor LM
Period (UTC) Teff LM F LEO SPO
------------ ----- --- - --- --
11:21-11:31 0.100 2.7 1 25 0
(four minutes down time)
Due to the thickening fog and cars starting to drive by
(after not one for more than two hours), I called it quits.
Long before finally arriving at the first location above,
around 7:00-7:30 UTC at a nice place that looked too
vulnerable to getting foggier than it already was, I saw
three nice earth-grazers. Also I saw half a dozen bright
Leonids at various moments while driving, including a
couple of them in bright twilight as I was heading back to
the motel.
Ed Cannon - ecannon@mail.utexasdot edu - Austin, Texas, USA
http://wwwvms.utexasdot edu/~ecannon/meteorlinks.html
(needs updating!)
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