Greetings again all,
Catching up on two recent pre-dawn meteor observing sessions: one yesterday morning with fellow ACACer Brenda Branchett at the Branchett home in Deltona, Florida and the other this morning from a windy Matanzas Inlet.
Brenda and I managed a brief watch from her and Dave’s back yard yesterday morning (Nov 25/26, 2016) seeing some nice late Leonids and a few others in between patches of cirrus cutting across our field of view. I got in 1 1/2 hours observing time and totaled 12 meteors that featured three nice Leonids and Brenda got in one hour with 2 Leonids, 2 Taurids and 3 sporadics. It’s always great to get a chance to co-observe with another “meteorphile” from time to time.
This morning, I was out once again at trusty Matanzas Inlet under less than perfect conditions with an 18 mile per hour NE wind blowing, but lovely dark and clear skies as always. I had 36 meteors total in a very busy 1 3/4 hours before the winds drove me away…;o). I found myself tracking seven different radiant sources scattered out all over the sky from horizon to horizon! Here’s my data from this morning’s session:
Observed for radiant:
LEO: Leonids
NTA: North Taurids
NOO: November Orionids
PSC: psi Cassiopeids
HYD: sigma Hydrids
PUP: Puppids-Velids
PSU: psi Ursa Majorids
SPO: sporadics
Date: Nov. 26/27, 2016, Observer: Paul Jones, Location: North Bank of Matanzas Inlet, Florida (about 15 miles south of St. Augustine, Florida), Lat: 29.75 N, Long: 81.24 W, LM: 6.8, Clear, Facing: west.
0400 – 0500 EST (0900 – 1000 UT), Teff: 1.0 hour, no breaks
4 LEO: +1(2), +2(2)
2 PUP: +2(2)
2 PSU: +2, +3
1 NTA: +2
1 DPC:+2
1 HYD: +3
13 SPO: -1, 0, +1, +2(2), +3(4), +4(3), +5
24 total meteors
Two LEOs, 2 SPO and the DPC left a short trains, yellow and blue tints were seen in the bright meteors.
0500 -0545 EST (1000 – 1045 UT), Teff: 0.75 hour, no breaks
2 LEO: +2, +3,
1 NOO: +3
1 PSU: +2
8 SPO: 0, +2, +3(3), +4(2), +5
12 total meteors
One of the LEOs and one SPO left short trains and were bluish white in color.
It was a bit challenging trying to keep track of seven different radiant sources (plus sporadics) all in the sky at the same time, but it sure did keep me on my toes. As you can see from the data, all of them were producing as well. The LEOs continue to be active well past their Nov. 17 maximum. I have been seeing them all month long pretty much! All told, I have recorded 51 LEOs in the 18 hours of observing I’ve done in the Month of November and that is with the maximum pretty much mooned out this year. Not a bad showing from them at all!.
Several of the minor radiants I’m currently tracking will reach maximum in early December and with the Geminids kicking in also, it promises to be a very busy couple of weeks coming up in the meteor department.
Clear skies, Paul J