Observing Notesfrom the Tuckahoe IrregularsI was one of the "faithful" on Monday night, trying to ignore my cold and aching feet while watching the sky for the predicted "meteor storm." In the three-hour period from 8 PM to 11 PM on Monday I saw more hot dogs (six on Don's portable grill) than meteors (one.) We saw blindingly great views of the nearly full moon through Doug's Genesis, along with a shot of Saturn, tan in the horizon's murk, with four moons, some surface detail, and the Cassini Division all clearly visible. At 11:15 I took my wife and self home to get a few hours' sleep before the hoped-for second peak predicted at 5:30. I returned to the ball field just before 4 AM, sans wife, who decided that warm cozy blankets were the better part of valor. Within five minutes of arrival I saw two fairly bright meteors near Leo, and decided to get out my camera to try to capture some images. I learned very quickly that *I* was controlling where the meteors flew: everywhere I aimed my Canon, the meteors went somewhere else! The meteors seemed to come in bursts: there would be four or five in a minute or so, and then three or four minutes with no visible activity. This was partly due to moisture in the lower atmosphere made visible by the brightness of the Westering moon, and a protracted set of high-altitude contrails and cirrus that glowed brightly from the same cause. Without all the brightness, we might have been able to double or triple the meteor count. Around 5:20 the eastern sky began to lighten as the dawn crept towards us. At the same time we watched the ISS pass overhead, traveling directly through Leo and probably mag -3 or -4. It was brighter than Sirius and Jupiter; the only thing brighter in the sky was the intense white point of Venus, hanging about 15 degrees above the horizon. Just after 5:40 the rate began to pick up, corresponding to the cold batteries in my camera giving up the ghost. (I told you I was in charge!) As I packed the camera away and sat down, the Leonids put on their finale, a burst of meteors visible in the eastern half of the sky. Lyle, myself, Chris (?) and a couple of other folks began counting, and in a time period of probably three to four minutes witnessed 51 streaks, from fast slices to bright balls that left visible glowing trails of two to three seconds' duration. As quickly as it began, the burst ended, and a few minutes later the sky was too bright to see any but the largest Leonid components. At 6:15 I dragged my camera and cold feet back to my car and drove home. It was not the best meteor shower I've ever seen (last year's Leonids take that honor;) but it was the second best, and beat out this year's Perseids (eight faint meteors in two hours from my east-facing driveway entrance.) I'll know in a week or so if my camera captured any streaks without red and green wingtip lights. We missed those of you that didn't show up! Steve |