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(meteorobs) Estimating magnitudes

Greetings all,

----- Original Message -----
From: Geoff Wolfe <gef@ski.com.au>
> I noticed some on this list had trouble trying to estimate magnitude
> because they don't know how to. I too could not do this either.
> However, someone on the list said that Jupiter is Mag
> -2.7. This was very a helpful bit of info to me

Estimating magnitudes of meteors is not hard to do... with a little help.
Check out the set of 4 star maps that we have on the NAMN website at
http://www.namnmeteors.org/charts.html

These charts show the constellations, sky coordinates, and the magnitudes of
stars useful in judging the brightness of the meteors you see.  (Set your
printer to 'landscape' mode to print them off.)

These maps are designed for North American observers... so will not cover
the south circumpolar constellations.  However, they cover all the rest of
the sky (but, read on...).

Each month, in our newsletter NAMN Notes, we also give the brightness of the
planets.  Note that the planets do change in brightness!  For December, yes,
it is -2.7, according to the RASC Observers Handbook, published by the Royal
Astronomical Society of Canada.  By next July, though, it will have gotten
fainter, and will only be -1.8.

A handy reference guide - which also gives the brightness of all the '314
stars brighter than apparent magnitude 3.55' including the south circumpolar
sky - the 2002 RASC Observers Handbook can be ordered through www.rascdot ca.
It also has sections on meteors, radio detection of meteors, fireballs,
meteorite identification, meteorite impact craters of North America, comets,
and interplanetary dust - and all kinds of other neat stuff on deep sky,
planets, etc.  There are calendars for each month as well, telling what is
happening in the sky.

Hope this is of help to you - and others wondering about how to judge the
brightness of the meteors they see!

- Cathy Hall
  Ottawa, Canada
  NAMN & RASC...



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