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(meteorobs) Max night Nov 18-19, 2002 report from E KS (MATBE)



Observer - Bert G. Matous (MATBE)
Site - Regular site 28.5 miles S of where I live.
         Rutlader site on Louisburg-Middle Creek Reservoir.
         +38.5 N and 94 37' W

Going to start with this - The most powerful meteor event I've
ever seen. August 1980 Perseids was the next best (w/127
Perseids, 18 others in the final whole hr. max nite, manually
recording!).  I think any meteor event stronger than the annual
Perseids and Geminids rate newsworthiness, this certainly
qualified.  I also wonder what the rates would have been with
no moon in the sky.  I figure 50% more +3's, double the +4's,
and add TEN times the fives, seems reasonable. Ed Cannon's
rates/observations match mine well from the CST time zone.

I'll start with the magnitude breakdown totals - 3:33 time

566 Leonids:  -4(1); -3(1), -2(7), -1(18), 0(20), +1(62); +2(189);
                    +3(145); +4(98); +5(25).  Avg. Leonid: +2.3887

Trains - 107 out of 566 Leonids or 18.9%

Trains by magnitude -

-4/ 1 of 1/           100% Longest 18 seconds
-3/ 1 of 1/           100% Longest   3 sec.
-2/ 5 of 7/          71.4% Longest   2 sec.
-1/12 of 18/       66.7% Longest   2 sec.
 0/ 7 of 20/        35.0% Longest   2 sec.
+1/26 of 62/      41.9% Longest   2 sec.
+2/45 of 98/      45.9% Longest   2 sec.
+3/7 of 144/        4.9% Longest   1 sec.
+4/3 of 98/          3.1% Longest   1 sec.

No other meteor seen that night had a train during the 3:33 session.
On the way down to the remote site Jill saw an est. -5 or -6 in the
high SW, I observed a thick train that confirms that brightness for
at least 15 sec. thru the windshield with the headlights on, at around 215am.

I did have a casual +2 Northern Apex around 2 AM with a 1 sec. train.

RATES - 
NOV. 18-19th UT 2002
3:33 TOTAL TIME - 566 Leonids, 3 Northern Taurids (NTA), 
                            2 S. Taurids (STA), 2 Alpha Monocerotids
[602 METEORS]    (AMO), 1 Iota Aurigid (IAU), 28 Sporadics
                            (of which 7 were NApex & 3 S Apex source)

By rough hour segments or partials -

0550-0620UT - 4 Leonids, 1 NTA, 1 Spor.
0848-0900UT - 8 Leonids, 1 STA, 3 Spor.
0900-1000UT - 76 Leonids, 2 NTA, 1 AMO, 7 Spor.(incl. 3 NPX)
1000-1100UT - 332 Leonids, 1 IAU, 1 AMO, 7 Spor.(incl. 1 NPX)
1100-1101UT - 6 Leonids near horizon while standing
1102-1105UT - BREAK
1105-1155UT - 139 Leonids, 1 STA, 11 Spor.(incl. 3 NPX & 2 SPX)

Further broke down with magnitude bins - TEN min. periods 
                                                                    Others
TIME UT     -4 -3 -2 -1  0  +1  +2  +3  +4  +5   w/mag.s Total L/L w-trains  
0550-0620   -   -   -   -   1   1    -    -     2     -// +2 NT, +3 Spor      
  4/2   
0848-0900   -   -   -   -   1   1    3   1     1    1// +4 ST,+4,+3,+4 S    
8/3   
0900-0910   -   -   -   2  1   3    4   2     1    1// +2 NT, +4, +3 S      
14/4  
0910-0920   -   -   -   3  1   3    4   2     -     -//  +4 S                 
     14/5  
0920-0930   -   -   -   1  -    1    3   1     1    -//  +2, +4 Spor.s        
  7/3   
0930-0940   -   -   -   2  2   2    3   5     3    2//  +4 S                  
   19/4  
0940-0950   -   -   1  1  -    3    3   2     1    1//  +2 NTau               
 12/6
0950-1000   -   -   -   -   3   3    -    4      -    -//  +4 AMO, +4 S       
10/1
1000-1010   -   -   -   1  3   2    5    7     7   2//  +4 IAU, +2 AMO    27/4
1010-1020   -   -   1  -   1   3    7    4     2    -//  +2, +4 S             
  18/6
1020-1030   -   -   1  1   -   3   14   9    10   2//  +5 S                   
 40/11
1030-1040   -   -   -   2   1  7   29  18    7    1//  +3, +5 S              
65/10
1040-1050   -  1   -   2   2  14  43  25   16   4//  NONE                
107/18
1050-1100  1  -    -   1   2   2   23  23   18   5//  +3, +3 S              
75/9
1105-1115  -   -   2   -   2   2    15   9    10  4//   +4 S                  
 44/7
1115-1125  -   -   -   -    -   3     9    9     5   1//   +2 STau            
  27/5
1125-1135  -   -   1  1   -    5    10   6     6   -//    +3,+3,+4,+4 S     
29/4
1135-1145  -   -   -   -   -    3     7   12    2   1//   +2,+3,+3 S          
25/6
1145-1155  -   -   -   -   -    1     6    4     4   -//    +3,+2,+3 S        
  15/2
 
1100-1101  -   -   1  1  -     -     1     1    2   -//     NONE              
   6/1

I broke down the 420-430AM CST count into 5 min. bins, but dropped
that when the activity strengthened dramatically.  One thing for sure in the
Central USA activity curve decreased noticeably slower than the ramping
up of this rev 4 trail.  I think without twilight encroaching the figures
would have still stayed in the upper 20's per :10 bin thru 1200 UT.

My field of view facings and zenithal star measurements as noted:
0550-0620 N at 80 degrees elevation, zenithal star  +5.0
0848-0930 E at 70      "            "      , zs +5.1
0930-0940 ENE at 75  "           "       , zs +5.1
0940-1000 NE at 65    "          "        ,  zs +5.2
1000-1010 NNE at 60  "          "        ,  zs +5.2
1010-1020 NE at 70    "          '"        , zs  +5.2
1020-1030 ENE at 70  "           "       , zs  +5.2
1030-1040 E at 70      "           "        , zs  +5.25
1040-1050 E at 75     "            "        , zs +5.25
1050-1100 NE at 80   "            "        , zs +5.25
1105-1115 E at 80     "            "        , zs +5.35
1115-1125 E at 80     "            "        , zs +5.3
1125-1135 E at 80     "            "        , zs +5.15
1135-1145 ESE at 70  "          "        , zs  +5.0
1145-1155 NE at 80   "           "        , zs  +4.85

Of interest was the drawing back of my center of field of vision during
the peak of the display, to the radiant area.
I was fortunate enough to be up in the NE field of view
when the brightest -4 was seen at 1055.  Three different teams saw this
one that I know of, one set of three was 20 miles N of me, and my Dad
45 miles NE of me in Missouri all saw this one.  Doug Jackson's group
further N recorded a one minute train off this particular fireball, me
20 miles S of being directly under it got an :18 sec. reading on the train.
The highlight of the show - My daughter, up and watching nearing 440 am
with the show heating up, said to me, "Thank you for letting me see this
display and missing school today!"  Her report, counts only, follows within
a day or so.  Her counts nicely complement mine, top three :10
min. bins from 1030-1100UT were 70, 105, & 72 Leonids.

Special thanks to my fiancee, Jill Bailey, for doing the crucial time bin
cutoff record-keeping.  I recorded manually with notebooks, without
looking down thruout my session.  It did get hectic for about 30 min.
centered on 1047 or 8, where peak occurred in my estimate, UT time.

I consider this report to be the most important one I've ever filed
in 29 years of observing.  A simply marvelous and powerful meteor
shower, how can anyone grumble about that kind of display.

Regards,

Bert G. Matous
Overland Park KS 
66223

PS - Sounded like a good group at the observatory in Louisburg, KS with
53 indiv. cars, there were I believe 4 other groups down at the lake where
I was set up, two arriving about 4AM one about 420am and another at 430ish.
I reckon everyone of those groups were glad they came out!
















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