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(meteorobs) Geminid Observations from Central Virginia 11/12 and 12/13 December 2003
Managed to find some time to get out and do some observing, in spite of the
bright moon conditions. Although the Geminids were not much very active
(they have to be on their way down), I did make an interesting discovery on
another possible radiant (only I failed to do any plotting - finding my plotting
sheets would be a whole other matter), or discovered some very early
Ursids. Saw several (five) long and slow meteors that appear to have
originated from deep in the North-Northwest portion of the Sky (toward the
Northern Horizon beyond Cassiopeia. These particular meteors I will
designate with a ** (double star). For those of You getting out tonight (We have
a Winter Storm approaching this afternoon) and tomorrow night,
please be on the lookout for these slow meteors from the
North. Report from the past two evenings from my backyard at
Home in Central Virginia (rural outskirts of Madison Heights-Monroe, Virginia)
is as follows:
* Observing Session One*
Date - 11/12 December 2003
Observing Period - 0250 to 0350 UT (Official Session)
(Meteors Seen) - 11 Total
Casually spotted a 1st Magnitude Yellow Geminid (first one of this year for
me) at 0142 UT
(0250-0350 UT)
0253
Spor
2.0 This meteor only three degrees
long!
0255
Gem
1.0 Blue
0307
Gem
4.0
0312
Gem
2.0 Yellow
0314
** 3.0
slow moving from North (early Ursid?)
0340
** 3.0
slow to medium speed from North also
0347
Gem 4.0
*Limiting Magnitude of 5.2 (Very Bright Waning Gibbous Moon in Eastern Sky)
and half of SSW Sky obscured by House*
**Effective Time of Observing Period
was 59 minutes.**
*** Air Temperature was 1.5 degrees
Celsius.***
(Other Casual Meteors seen while packing up observing gear)
0358
Gem
1.0 Yellow-Green
0402 X
Ori 3.0
0404
Spor 4.0
Nothing further to report on this Observing Session.
**Observing Session Two**
Date - 12/13 December 2003
Observing Period - 0300 to 0530 UT (Official Session)
[Meteors Seen for Session] - 23 Total
(0300-0400 UT)
0318
Gem
1.0 Yellow
0320 **
3.0 long & slow-moving Meteor from
North
0323
Gem
2.0 Blue
0328
Gem
4.0
0341
Gem 3.0
0342
Gem 4.0
0347
Gem
2.0 Yellow
0348
Gem
1.0 Yellow
0351
Gem
0.0 Yellow
*LM of 5.4 with bright moon in
East and 58 minutes of effective observing time*
(0400-0500 UT)
Gem 4.0
Gem 4.0
Gem 3.0
0415
** 3.0
long & slow-moving Meteor from North
Gem
1.0 Yellow
Gem 5.0
Gem 4.0
0440 **
-1 long & slow-moving
from North
Gem
3.0
Gem
0.0 Yellow
Gem
4.0
Spor
2.0 one-second train
*LM of 5.3 and 57 minutes of
effective observing time*
(0500-0530 UT)
Gem 2.0
Gem 4.0
* LM of 5.2 and 28 minutes of
effective observing time*
Nothing further to report about this Observing Session.
In Astronomical Affinity - Felix A.
Martinez
Got up at 5Ut was out and observing at
5:30Ut
till 8:40 Ut when clouds rolled in.
Saw 9 Geminids, 8 Chi Orinids, and 5
Monoceritids.
At 5:48 Ut saw a nice -3 greenish Chi
orinid, which was
soon followed seconds later by -4 greenish -I
call Sporadic for now. Lm was 5 throughout session. Will post formal report
later- and looking forward to those of you who will not be clouded out
tonight.