#21  
Old 07-08-2013, 05:20 PM
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Ian was out again this morning and although not visible to the naked eye I once again caught several meteors around the Magellenic clouds any idea what this shower is.
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Old 07-08-2013, 08:50 PM
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Thanks Sil and Bob, the contrast thing makes sense. I was just wondering if darker photons would register on the sensor afterwards essentially covering it up.

I think that's what I'll try is to reduce the length and boost ISO. I'll put it on the Polarie anyway. I still have a few nights experimention to work something out.
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Old 07-08-2013, 08:58 PM
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There are a number of showers at the moment but not all of them will be bright enough to see much.

The North Delta Aquariids
Piscis Austrinids
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Delta_Aquariids
Beta Cassiopeids
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Capricornids possibly.
Eta Eridanids
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kappa_Cygnids
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Old 08-08-2013, 06:48 AM
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Clear skies here last two nights but no activity spotted from any radiant. Checked early this morning as well (5:30 am) but nup.
I think we're scheduled for serious clouds and rain from here on in but I'll keep the binos handy and the eyes peeled.
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Old 08-08-2013, 03:11 PM
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Clear skies here last two nights but no activity spotted from any radiant. Checked early this morning as well (5:30 am) but nup.
I think we're scheduled for serious clouds and rain from here on in but I'll keep the binos handy and the eyes peeled.
So Brent, the "Fluximeter" was spot on for your area then with "0"
Sorry... shouldn't be laughing But I still am

It tells me 7 an hour for my area, which would be about right going by other showers I've seen from home.
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Old 08-08-2013, 11:36 PM
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http://www.imo.net/

According to observations things seem to be winding up.
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Old 09-08-2013, 05:56 AM
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Got up this morning about 5:30 am, stood outside with a cuppa till I gave up. Still no meteors although I did see a nice satellite heading NE. I warned it about the approaching meteors so it got a move on ....

Went inside, had breakfast then just before heading off to work with the sky lightening i had another quick look in a NE direction. Could just make out Orions Belt in the sky when two quick flashes just Sth of Saiph caught my eye.
Fluxtimator got it wrong !!

Weather for the weekend is predicted not good but it keeps clearing the skies so fingers crossed.
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  #28  
Old 11-08-2013, 03:11 AM
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I was out observing last night and in about half an hour I saw six meteors, including another bight one in Centaurus.

I got the camera taking some wide fields towards the north at the moment, trying to catch any early Perseids.

Looking forward to seeing some pics from you northern guys.

Jo
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Old 11-08-2013, 04:17 AM
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Fingers crossed for some pics, I haven't the greatest of views but I might be able to sniff a good angle out with the 18mm.
Actually I have excellent NE views but come night they are ruined by street lights.
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Old 11-08-2013, 10:41 AM
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Yes Ian, I plan to be out over the next 2 mornings, weather permitting. Perseus rises here about 2.30, so will set the alarm for about 4am when it has risen a bit. Good luck from Cairns.
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Old 11-08-2013, 10:47 AM
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Fingers crossed for some pics, I haven't the greatest of views but I might be able to sniff a good angle out with the 18mm.
Actually I have excellent NE views but come night they are ruined by street lights.
Oh, you are in Spain now Jarrod, hola and wow. Had a night in Alicanti on 'My Iberian Dream' tour, 2 years ago. Lovely waterfront town and castle.
Good luck with the Perseids, you willl probably see waaay more than us southerners.
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Old 11-08-2013, 11:00 AM
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Check this most incredible image of a Perseid captured by Fraser Gunn in New Zealand. I popped it on the IIS fb page and it went crazy with the shares. I'd also like to pop it here with the write up I posted with the pic as it's really interesting information.

Click image for larger version

Name:	Perseid by Fraser Gunn.jpg
Views:	80
Size:	52.2 KB
ID:	145225

Sweeeeeeeeet! Perseid fireball caught in the act!
Credit: Fraser Gunn Astrophotography

Now I hear some people wondering why is it green?
Read on....


Can fireballs appear in different colors?

Vivid colors are more often reported by fireball observers because the brightness is great enough to fall well within the range of human color vision. These must be treated with some caution, however, because of well-known effects associated with the persistence of vision. Reported colors range across the spectrum, from red to bright blue, and (rarely) violet. The dominant composition of a meteoroid can play an important part in the observed colors of a fireball, with certain elements displaying signature colors when vaporized. For example, sodium produces a bright yellow color, nickel shows as green, and magnesium as blue-white. The velocity of the meteor also plays an important role, since a higher level of kinetic energy will intensify certain colors compared to others. Among fainter objects, it seems to be reported that slow meteors are red or orange, while fast meteors frequently have a blue color, but for fireballs the situation seems more complex than that, but perhaps only because of the curiosities of color vision as mentioned above.

The difficulties of specifying meteor color arise because meteor light is dominated by an emission, rather than a continuous, spectrum. The majority of light from a fireball radiates from a compact cloud of material immediately surrounding the meteoroid or closely trailing it. 95% of this cloud consists of atoms from the surrounding atmosphere; the balance consists of atoms of vaporized elements from the meteoroid itself. These excited particles will emit light at wavelengths characteristic for each element. The most common emission lines observed in the visual portion of the spectrum from ablated material in the fireball head originate from iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), and sodium (Na). Silicon (Si) may be under-represented due to incomplete dissociation of SiO2 molecules. Manganese (Mn), Chromium (Cr), Copper (Cu) have been observed in fireball spectra, along with rarer elements. The refractory elements Aluminum (Al), Calcium (Ca), and Titanium (Ti) tend to be incompletely vaporized and thus also under-represented in fireball spectra.


Source: American Meteor Society,
Read More: http://www.amsmeteors.org/fireballs/faqf/#5
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Old 11-08-2013, 12:50 PM
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Planning on going camping Tuesday night, where is a open clear space an hour from Brisbane where I can take my dog and camp the night?
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Old 11-08-2013, 01:34 PM
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Did anyone see any last night? It was quite uneventful. Didn't photograph any.

Trying again tonight.

H
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Old 12-08-2013, 08:31 AM
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I was out for an hour this am, from 0415 but we had a light layer of scattered cloud. Saw 3 meteors, 2 from the SW ?Aquarids, but 1 boomer of a Perseid hurtling out of Perseus into Orion, and very bright and smokin - a bolide I believe. Will try again tomorrow am when at the peak.

I said Bolide, but perhaps a fireball per this explaination -

Most meteors observed during a shower are no larger than a few millimeters in size. However, brighter meteors, known as fireballs and bolides, appear occasionally. A fireball is not precisely defined, but generally refers to a meteor with a peak brightness equal to or greater than any of the planets. A bolide is a meteor brighter than magnitude -14, or about four times brighter than the Moon. On occasion, bolides will survive the trip through the atmosphere to land as meteorites.

http://www.gizmag.com/2013-perseid-m...ll-king/28605/

Last edited by Liz; 12-08-2013 at 09:39 AM.
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  #36  
Old 12-08-2013, 10:04 AM
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Does hail count ? ... I thought not ....

Nice picture from Fraser at least. Wow !
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Old 12-08-2013, 05:55 PM
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Oh, you are in Spain now Jarrod, hola and wow. Had a night in Alicanti on 'My Iberian Dream' tour, 2 years ago. Lovely waterfront town and castle.
Good luck with the Perseids, you willl probably see waaay more than us southerners.

It's a nice little town, this time of year though it's hugely busy with tourists intent on getting sun burn.
We are a little bit further inland from the coast which has a little better sky quality despite all the street lights.

As for last night, it was a disaster. I only saw 4 up until 2am and left the camera rolling. I get up to change the battery and take some darks and when I finally check the pics there is like 240 darks and 4 lights.
Gutted by that, I don't know if the darks over writ the data or the camera stopped after taking 4 pictures.
Not happy about that.
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Old 12-08-2013, 08:19 PM
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Hi Tim,

Just out of Brisbane, Lake Moogerah camping ground is a much visited site by my fellow astro buddies. I've not been there before but plan on heading there this summer. I've seen pics from there that my astro friends have taken and the horizon looks fabulous. BBQ's camping etc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Moogerah


Though the Perseid peak in Australia is Tuesday morning (13th)- a time of maximum views!

http://astroblogger.blogspot.com.au/...or-shower.html

http://astroblogger.blogspot.com.au/...update-11.html


H, good luck for tonight! I'll look forward to some pics if you're able to nab any.

Liz- I'm jealous! Oh If I see nothing else tonight in activity, but just one or two fireballs in a two hour period will keep me grinning for a long time! The Geminids last December gave some terrific fireballs with trails. I was viewing them with my daughter. I recall so well the unison echo of "whoaaaaaaaa" while our heads moved and eyes like stunned deers in headlights was funny and memorable. Great times! The Geminids is the one shower we do together. When I'm no longer here and part of dust, we have a pact that she keeps viewing them and she thinks of me. How long that will last I don't know.

Looking forward to your report this coming morning, you lucky guys up there.
Loved that description in that link, it explained things nicely, thank you.
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  #39  
Old 12-08-2013, 10:08 PM
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photos of meteors

Is there an easy way to work out whether the random streaks in photos are just satellites or possibly meteors or some other random event?

Sometimes it's obvious:

1. If a line has a steady brightness and width, I think I can safely assume that it was a satellite... especially if it continues through more than one image lol

2. When there are multiple really cool looking streaks, radiating from one point... ...then I can probably assume that my zoom lens has suffered from the effects of gravity and closed up, again.

BUT... what about the lines that "fade in" and or "fade out"?
Could these be meteors?
What if there are combinations of both type in one image?
Is there a reliable way to work it out
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Old 12-08-2013, 11:06 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lynkim1 View Post
Is there an easy way to work out whether the random streaks in photos are just satellites or possibly meteors or some other random event?
Maybe, maybe not...

Quote:
Sometimes it's obvious:

1. If a line has a steady brightness and width, I think I can safely assume that it was a satellite... especially if it continues through more than one image lol
It may also be a comet, asteroid, high altitude jet, helicopter, laser pointer, cosmic ray, satellite, or even meteor (e.g. passing through the atmosphere, rather than heading towards the ground and burning up brightly).

Quote:
2. When there are multiple really cool looking streaks, radiating from one point... ...then I can probably assume that my zoom lens has suffered from the effects of gravity and closed up, again.

BUT... what about the lines that "fade in" and or "fade out"?
Could these be meteors?
What if there are combinations of both type in one image?
Is there a reliable way to work it out
Yep - photos of fireball meteors usually show them fading in and out. However, satellites (such as the ones in the Iridium network) can flare up brightly when they tumble and happen to catch the sun. With the naked eye, they often look very similar to meteors.

In photos, meteors often leave a distinctive green trail, with or without a persistent train (debris left over from the meteor). Satellite flares usually look white in my photos - I assume because they're reflecting white sunlight.

Websites like CalSky and Heavens Above are good for finding out which satellites would have likely been in the area, if you have GPS coordinates and a reliable time. There are databases of asteroids (e.g. Minor Planet Centre) that you can check too. However, there are many satellites and other objects that don't have official entries in the databases (especially spy satellites ) so it can be a bit hit and miss.
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