Introduction
A report of my September observations is presented below. Not being able to observe meteors since August 15, I was eager to monitor the descending period of the September Epsilon Perseids, and check for any signs of the minor Chi Cygnids. Weather and moon conditions allowed a total of 9,53 hours of visual observing, yielding a total of 108 visual meteors, and 10 meteors photographed with my DSLR camera. Activity from the CCY was observed, but no more than can be explained by chance lined-up sporadics. Activity from the SPE was clearly detected with some bright meteors. Meteors from the STA was also detected from mid- September, taking over the activity from the Antihelion complex.
Observation September12/13 2020
With the exciting news of the return of the Chi Cygnids in my head, I decided to make some observations from my observing site on a small hill in the forest, some 300 meters from my house. The forest protects from any direct light pollution, but the relative proximity to Oslo and nearby small towns, makes the limiting magnitude never exceeding 6.3. This evening sky was clear and transparent, with Lm around 6.15 to 6.20. I started observations 19:40 UT, and after only 3 minutes I observed a 4 magnitude, slow moving meteor in Cygnus, matching perfectly with the predicted CCY radiant! Inspired by this, I continued to look for further signs of activity. During the next hour I saw a couple of possible candidates, but both were dismissed as sporadics using strict criteria for shower association. Highlights of the hour was a 2 mag SPE in Perseus, and a 0 mag Sporadic low near the horizon in the west.
19:40 – 20:40 Teff: 1.00, F: 1.00, Lm: 6.14, RA: 315, Dec: +45
Spo: 0, 2, 3(2), 4(2), 5(2) – 8 meteors
SPE: 2 – 1 meteor
CCY: 4 – 1 meteor
The next hour gave no clear CCY candidates, but the SPE delivered a couple of nice meteors. The best one being a 0 magnitude, yellow, fast moving meteor in Andromeda. The meteor left a smoke train lasting 2-3 seconds. 20 minutes later a white 2 mag SPE was seen just above the Pegasus Square. Worth mentioning is also a 1 mag, red, slow moving sporadic meteor moving from Pegasus into Andromeda. The sporadic activity was quite good for evening observation with 12 meteors. A couple of the observed sporadics may in fact have been early Southern Taurids.
20:40 – 21:40 Teff: 1.00, F: 1.00, Lm: 6.19, RA: 315, Dec: +45
Spo: 1, 2(3), 3, 4(3), 5(3), 6 – 12 meteors
SPE: 0, 2 – 2 meteors
CCY: No meteors
After a 5 minutes break, I was able to observe for one more hour before the descending moon would climb into the sky. Some drifting clouds were also moving in from the north/west, but large areas of the sky were still free of clouds, making observations useful. Meteor activity this hour was a bit lower, with 7 sporadics and 1 SPE seen. The 2 best meteors seen, were both slow moving sporadics. The first one near Alpha Andromeda at 22:40, and the next one just above Deneb 12 minutes later. There was no sign of activity from the CCY radiant this hour.
21:45 – 22:45 Teff: 1.00, F: 1.05, Lm: 6.14, RA: 330, Dec: +45
Spo: 2(3), 3(2), 5(2) – 7 meteors
SPE: 3 – 1 meteor
CCY: No meteors
Observations september 16/17 2020
September 16. came with clear skies, and I decided to follow up my observations of the CCY. Although the sky was apparently cloud free, observing conditions were not optimal. A bad layer of haze was visible in the photos, making the Lm reduced to around 6.0. The first 15 minutes went by without any meteors, before a short, white, slow moving sporadic lit up between Alpha and Gamma Cygni. 45 minutes into the observation, I saw my first “official” Southern Taurid of the year, a 4 mag in Andromeda. At the end of the period, a really good 2 magnitude candidate for the CCY shower was seen in Cygnus.
19:30 – 20:50 Teff: 1.283, F: 1.00, Lm: 5.95, RA: 330, Dec: +45
Spo: -1, 3(2), 4(5) – 8 meteors
SPE: 0 meteors
STA: 4 – 1 meteor
CCY: 2 – 1 meteor
In the next period both meteor activity and observing conditions improved a bit. At 21:03 a really nice 1 mag SPE lit up in Auriga. Next out was a 4 mag STA, before a yellow, fast, 0 mag Sporadic flashed up in the constellation of Delphinus. In the 3-minute period between 21:27 and 21:30, two nice meteors showed up. The first one being a 2 mag, very long-pathed, reddish STA, moving from Pegasus into Andromeda. This one was shortly followed up by a white sporadic of medium speed near the double cluster of Perseus. Right before the end of the observation, a fast moving, yellow/green, 0 mag sporadic lit up in Cassiopeia, rounding off another 2,5 hours of successful observations.
20:50 – 22:05 Teff: 1.250, F: 1.00, Lm: 6.05, RA: 345, Dec: +45
Spo: 0(2), 1, 2(2), 3, 4(3), 5(2) – 11 meteors
SPE: 1, 5 – 2 meteors
STA: 2, 4 – 2 meteors
CCY: No meteors
Observations September 19/20
The last night with clear skies in September came on September 19/20. The night was warm and clear, and the observing conditions had improved from my last observing session. I started my observations 20:00 UT, and 8 minutes later a very short, yellow sporadic of medium speed lit up in Cassiopeia. This proved to be the brightest meteor of the hour, followed by sporadics in the magnitude range 2 to 5. A 3 magnitude SPE at 20:25, proved this shower still to be active. 3 minutes before the end of the period, I also saw a 3 mag, slow moving CCY in Delphinus.
20:00 – 21:00 Teff: 1.00, F: 1.00, Lm: 6.14, RA: 330, Dec: +45
Spo: 1, 2(2), 3(2), 4(2), 5(2) – 9 meteors
SPE: 3 – 1 meteor
STA: No Meteors
CCY: 3 – 1 meteor
The next hour continued with an absence of bright meteors. Sporadic activity was nevertheless quite steady, with 11 observed meteors. A nice 2 mag CCY were observed 7 minutes into the period, ending its path near Kappa Cygni. A 5 mag SPE was also seen 21:48 UT. Like the previous hour, the STA were absent, and I found this a little surprising due to the clear activity observed earlier in September.
21:00 – 22:00 Teff: 1.00, F: 1.00, Lm: 6.19, RA: 330, Dec: +45
Spo: 2, 3(4), 4(3), 5(3) – 11 meteors
SPE: 5 – 1 meteor
STA: 0 meteors
CCY: 2 – 1 meteor
Like the previous hours, the third period had no surprises. Sporadic rates were steady with 9 meteors. A nice -1 Sporadic was seen in the outskirts of my field of view, before a yellow, slow moving STA glided through Aquarius 7 minutes later. A 3 mag SPE was also observed, but no CCY meteors was seen this hour. After 3 hours of observations, I decided to take a 15 minutes brake to get some food, and change battery in my camera.
22:00 – 23:00 Teff: 1.00. F: 1.00, Lm: 6.23, RA: 345, Dec: +45
Spo: -1, 1, 2, 3, 4(3), 5, 6 – 9 meteors
SPE: 3 – 1 meteor
STA: 1 – 1 meteor
CCY: 0 meteors
My final period that night lasted from 23:15 to 00:15 UT. Driven by newly gained powers from a chocolate bar, I was ready for some late night action! After 11 minutes of observation a nice 2 mag SPE was seen in Andromeda. 9 minutes later another 3 mag SPE trailed through Perseus. 35 minutes into the hour a really beautiful 1 Mag CCY was gliding from Cygnus into Lacerta. Being a little disappointed with STA activity this night, the shower woke up the last 10 minutes of observation, with two 4 mag meteors in Andromeda. A rewarding 4 hours of observation had come to an end, with a total of 51 meteors observed visually.
23:15 – 00:15 Teff: 1.00, F: 1.00, Lm: 6.23, RA: 0.00, Dec: +45
Spo: 1, 2(2), 3(2), 4(3), 5(3) – 11 meteors
SPE: 2, 3 – 2 meteors
STA: 4(2)
CCY: 1 – 1 meteor
