Sunday, March 20, 2016

Sunday January 3, 2016 - Email Exchanges with Meteorobs


  Just after getting back inside from my meteor watching session on Sunday morning, January 3, I emailed a short message to the meteorobs group (meteorobs@meteorobs.org) to report what I'd seen (and not seen). This is what I wrote: 

  Kind of a disappointing morning here. I was outside from 7:30 - 9:00 UT January 3 with a clear sky and LM = 5.1 before moonlight started to wash out the faintest stars, but I didn't log a single Quadrantid. Three meteors total ... 1 Alpha Hydrid (+2.0 mag.), 1 Anthelion (+2.0 mag.) and 1 Sporadic (+1.0 mag.) Just below freezing with a breeze making a wind chill that was several degrees colder. I hope the rest of you have better luck! We're forecast to have clouds and scattered snow flurries for the Quadrantid peak on Monday morning.

  After waking up, I was surprised to get a response from a veteran meteor observer I'd read about, Richard Taibi from Maryland. Richard has been very involved with the American Meteor Society since 1983, and receiving personal email from him was very encouraging. This is what he wrote, and the reply that I wrote back to him that afternoon.

Hi Paul,
I am a sometime meteorobs poster.  I applaud your effort this morning to watch the QUAs.  I considered doing the same but was too tired (getting old!) to do so.
I appreciate getting your report on what I might have seen and (not seen) if I had been as intrepid as you.  My weather forecast is better than yours for tomorrow morning and if it proves to be good, I'll go look and post results on meteorobs.
Best wishes for the new year!
Rich 


Hello Richard, and thanks for the kind words.
  Best of luck to you tomorrow morning! I guess the experts aren't kidding when they write that the QUA shower has a quick rise and fall around maximum. Either they were quiet this morning or I missed every one. (I always have this feeling all the best meteors are shooting through the sky behind me whenever I get out to observe!) Best wishes to you as well for the New Year!
  Paul Z

  There were other replies to my original message as well. One interesting response came from "Anthony" somewhere in the Eastern Time Zone. Unfortunately, that's all I know about this writer: 

Hi all,
 The Quads are strange. I've attempted them for many years (as long as the clouds stayed away). Most of the time, I've been clouded out. Some clear years, the peak wasn't favored in my time zone (EST USA). But Paul,  I'm not surprised you didn't see any.  That sharp, narrow peak is true to it's word. I've nailed the peak one time in those years. ONE TIME! Before and after, almost no activity.  It's great if you can hit it. This year, I'm favored again, and it should be clear out!
 Crossing fingers!
Anthony

  As far as the Quadrantid peak itself before dawn on Monday, January 4, I ran out of luck. A cold front passed us on Sunday evening, and after midnight we had overcast skies and light snow flurries falling, putting a very light dusting on raised surfaces and some thin patches on the ground. Streamers of very light snow showed up on radar from Lake Michigan through Central Indiana. It was the first snow event of the year, and though it wasn't a storm by any means, it ruined any chances of me observing that narrow peak of this tricky annual meteor shower. 

  I DID end up sending a report of the three meteors I saw to the International Meteor Organization about two weeks later; reasoning that even a negative report (as far as Quadrantid activity) could be valuable to them. 

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