Category: Meteor

Fire from the Twins

Object Name Geminids
Object Type Meteor shower
Location My own backyard, Deventer, The Netherlands
Date Dec. 14th, 01.15UT – 03.00UT
Media Black and white pastels on navy blue paper

Last night the rich meteor shower of the Geminids peaked (actually it was around 14.00UT this afternoon, but the most favorable time to watch it from Europe was during the dark early hours of 14 december). Once again I decided to make a pastel sketch, just like I did during the Perseid shower last August. I used the same method: I made a very global sketch of the starfield I was going to view, including the obstruction caused by the roof and a tree on a dark blue piece of paper. In the field during the observation period I drew every meteor in place with a white pastel pencil.

But the shower was so rich I hardly got time to plot every meteor in the drawing. At given times there were 4 meteors per 10 seconds! I did not count them, but I must have seen over 150 meteors (incl. the ones outside the drawing’s field of view) in the 2 hours of observing time. Incredible! Around 40 of them appeared in the area of the drawing. I observed from my own backyard from 01.15 UT until 03.15 UT. Skies were clear during this whole period, but light pollution got a nasty boost from the snow that fell earlier that evening. NELM was around 5.

Kind regards,
Roel Weijenberg
www.roelblog.nl

Night of the Perseids

Object : Meteor Shower (Perseids)
Date : August 12/13 2010
Time : 12:55-01:55 LST / 07:55-08:55 UT
Location : Harquahala Mountain Range, Arizona USA
Medium : Charcoal pencils, white paper, paintbrush used as stump
Detector : Visual observation
Magnitude : Varying from 5 to -2 give or take a notch
Weather : Clear Moonless skies, calm winds and temperature in the mid 70’s

Comments :

I could’ve titled it “It’s A Dry Shower” but the Southwest humor
might not have gone far beyond Arizona. Anyway, lets drop the
umbrella and enjoy what was for some, one of the best showers ever
both in spectacle and rate or number of shooting stars. Data from
the International Meteor Organization (IMO) indicated that the Zenith Hourly Rate
(ZHR) peaked at 140 meteors per hour! From the
various meteor showers occuring throughout the year, the Perseids
in my opinion, are the “Best of Show” in that category.

The young waxing Moon along with a parade of planets went under the
horizon just in perfect time, a determining factor that helps in
bringing out even the faintest glowing granules of cometary debris.
They say to bring along a partner for otherwise it can get lonely
and quiet at times. My helpful assistant and wife was with me all
through the night. Staring at the sky for prolonged periods can be
easier by casual conversation with some company. My first hour
started at 9 pm LST. For the next 60 minutes a total of 14 Perseid
meteor streaks was all I recorded on my notes 3 were sporadics. The
following hour, at 10 pm LST, I ended with a count of 19 Perseids.
10 were from a combination of sporadic and Capricornids. At 11:15
pm LST, after a small break, I started the count again. This next
hour gave me a total of 39 Perseids.I decided at this time to get
my pad and pencils along with a pre-plotted star chart. All I had
to do next was doodle in everything that the sky would throw at me
including an incredibly bright Milky Way in the background.During
the next hour from 12:55 to 01:55 am LST, over 52 meteors were
immortalized on my sketch pad. A good deal of them left persistent
trains or smoke trails that soon vanished or dispersed with the
wind. Some of those that burned the brightest to a magnitude of -2
left their trail glowing with iridescent colors, the most
noticeable was a neon greenish hue. This color is attributed to a
meteor with a high composition of magnesium according to Astronomy magazine.
To the unaided eye, the persistent trains seemed to last
about 2 to 4 seconds in the air. However, I grabbed the binoculars
and noticed that the gaseous trail was still lingering far longer
than a few seconds. Those persistent trains lasted on some
occasions up to 10 to 15 seconds up until they finally broke or
disintegrated into nothingness.

I can add more blah,blah,blah but this is good enough for now!
Wishing you dark and clear skies,

Juanchin

The Perseid Meteor Shower 2010

* Object Name: Perseids
* Object Type: annular meteor shower
* Location: near Lochem, The Netherlands
* Date: August 13, 2010)
* Media: white and black pastels on navy blue paper

Last night I wanted to try something different: drawing a meteor
shower instead of photographing it!
First I rendered a background with only stars. I used a white pastel
pencil for that. Then I added a horizon with a black pastel.
I took this background drawing to my favourite observing site, lay
down on a comfortable chair and added every meteor I observed on my
pefab sky drawing.
I made two of these drawings. This one is made between midnight and
02.00h. The second one (between 02.00h and 03.30h) can be viewed at

Perseïden 2010: helemaal goed! (ASOD 14-08-’10)

Kind regards,

Roel Weijenberg

Fiery Mane of the Lion

Fiery Mane of the Lion

The Leonid Meteor Shower, November 16th and 17th, 2009
Sketch and Details by Richard Handy

The Leonids put on a spectacular display in the early morning hours of November 17th as seen from from Jacumba, California. Around 1:30 to 4:30 am PDT, we were treated to a barrage of meteors, from bright little spikes of light to radiant bolides that streaked halfway across the starry skies leaving long smoke trains that lingered in the air and then dissipated. The stream was sporadic however, and we noted several five to ten minute intervals with small counts breaking the 100-200 meteors per hour rate that seemed a good approximation to the average observed. I was certain that the rate was close to the 500/hr in periods between 3:30 am and 4:30 am predicted by some. Jacumba has very few bright street lights currently and the zodiacal light shone so brightly it was almost distracting. I decided to sketch the scene, and after finishing the foreground ridge on the eastern side of my property and the position of Leo on the horizon, I began to record the trajectory and brightness of the meteors that fell within the field of view of my sketch during the interval between 1:45 am and 3:15 am PDT. You’ll note that Leo would have risen about 25 degrees higher off the horizon during the sketch session, so the drawing does not accurately reflect that movement. Despite the restricted field of view, you can see that I was able to record a nice variety of Leonids during the hour and a half period. In the future, I’ve decided to try sketching one hour intervals with larger fov’s, that way I can record hourly count variations.

I hope most of you had clear weather and were able to see this awesome event, it’s one that will remain in my memory as the best I’ve ever witnessed.

Sketch details:
Subject: The 2009 Leonid Meteor Shower
Date: 11-17-09 Time: 1:30 to 3:15 am PDT Location: Jacumba, California
Naked eye sketch
Media: Conte’ Crayon and dry pastels on Strathmore 400 series black Artagain paper
Sketch size: 9″ x 12″

A Radiant August

Meteor Shower

August 1894 Meteor Shower
Drawings by A. L. Colton

LLUSTRATIONS OF THE AUGUST METEORS OF 1894,
As OBSERVED AT THE LICK OBSERVATORY.
On page 294 of the previous publication is a note by Professor HOLDEN on the observations of the August meteors of 1894. The charts drawn by Messrs. COLTON and FERRINE showing the paths of the meteors observed by them at Mount Hamilton, and the diagram of frequency- curves compiled by Mr. POOLE, are reproduced in miniature in this number. It is, perhaps, to be regretted that the scale is so small; the illustrations will, however, convey a good general idea of the work which was done. The reduction of the observations will be made with the aid of the original charts, which are on so large a scale as to meet every requirement. J. M. S.

As published in the Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific – Volume VII – 1895, pages 58 and 77, Available via Google Books.

Down a Jagged Path

Meteor

The Meteor of July 27, 1894
Illustration by Chauncey M. St. John

THE METEOR OF JULY 27, 1894, 7h 30m P. S. T.
By EDWARD S. HOLDEN.

A great number of observations of this splendid meteor were received at the LICK Observatory, either directly, or through the kind offices of Hon. A. S. TOWNE, Hon. C. F. CROCKER, Hon. R. THOMPSON and others. Some of the best were not available till the middle of October. Very complete observations of the meteor’s position and appearance were made at Mount Hamilton by seven observers. Professor AITKEN of the University of the Pacific sent the only complete observation received here, viz., the altitude and azimuth of the meteor when it exploded, and the same co-ordinates of the point where it disappeared. Many good determinations of the point of explosion were received, the best being those of Professor FRIEND (Carson), Mr. CARLETON and Mr. BURCKHALTER (CHABOT Observatory), Mr. GEORGE BRAY (Santa Clara), Mr. W. B. JOHNSON and Mr. STONEROAD (Merced), Mr. HERROLD and Mr. HERRING (San José). Drawings of the brilliant cloud left by the explosion were received from Professor SCHAEBERLE (Mount Hamilton), Mr. JOHNSON (Merced), Mr. STEWART (Visalia); and excellent accounts of this cloud from Dr. O’BRIEN (Merced) and others. A beautiful and artistic water-color drawing of the phenomenon has been presented to the Observatory by Mr. CHAUNCEY M. ST. JOHN, which represents the general appearance in a most satisfactory way. The determinations of the place where the meteor disappeared were not so satisfactory, the reasons being, no doubt, that everyone’s attention was riveted on the cloud left by the explosion, and because the meteor divided into two portions near the end of its course.

When the last reports were received it was possible to fix with considerable precision the point where the meteor exploded. This point is in the zenith of a place about half a mile south and about half a mile west of the N. E. corner of T. II E., R. 8 S., M. D. B. and M. The explosion took place when the meteor was a trifle over 28 miles above the Earth’s surface.

It is not so easy to fix the place where the meteor fell. Bakersfield, Hollister, Los Gatos, Madera. Merced, Minturn (two observers), Mount Hamilton ( E. S. H.), San José (two observers), report that the meteor moved north as it fell.

College Park and Mount Hamilton (R. H. T. and A. F. P.) report that it moved south in falling.

Borden, Carson, Crow’s Landing, Fresno, Livermore, Los Baños, Oakland (CHABOT Observatory), Riverside, San Andreas, Santa Clara, Vallejo, Visalia, report. th.e direction of its’fall as substantially vertical; and, in default of more accurate data, I have assumed this to represent the facts.

The meteor disappeared before it reached the Earth. The fragments produced by the explosion were probably volatilized by the time they reached a height of some 6 miles above the Earth’s surface. It is hardly likely that any large fragments reached the Earth. If so, they should be sought for within a circle of some 12 miles in diameter, whose centre is the point previously described. If the observations of the point where the meteor disappeared had been more accurate, the place of the fall would have been better determined.

The meteor was seen by several observers long before it exploded—probably when its height was over 70 miles. The position of the radiant-point is R. A. 16h 0m, Declination +34°.5.

With these data I have calculated the orbit of the meteor. As the data are (in general) not very precise the elements of the orbit are but approximate. The orbit is assumed to be a parabola. The elements are:

Pi = 130°,
Omega = 125°,
i = 20°,
q = 1.016.

The meteor was then a little nearer the Sun than the Earth it was near perihelion, and moving in an orbit inclined some 20° to the ecliptic.

The Regents of the University have authorized the printing of a pamphlet on this subject, which will (in due time) be sent to our correspondents. This pamphlet will also contain the observations of the August meteors of 1894 made by Professor SCHAEBERLE at Monte Diablo, and by Messrs. COLTON, PERRINE and POOLE, at Mount Hamilton.

From The Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Volume VI, 1894, pages 268-270 at Google Books