1999 has been my best year so far for Geminids, despite less than ideal skies on the peak night. Here's the count:
| Date | time(PST) | count | Location | Limiting Mag. | obscuration (trees, clouds, etc...) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/9 | 11:00-12:00 | 2 | Belmont, hot tub | 5.1 | 30% |
| 12/10-11 | 11:00-01:00 | 7 | " | 5.1 | 30% |
| 12/11-12 | 11:00-01:00 | 5 | " | 5 | 30% |
| 12/13-14 | 10:00-11:10 | 10 | Belmont, hot tub | 4.2 | 30% |
| 11:25-11:50 | 12 | Belmont, backyard | 4.5 | 15% | |
| 11:50-12:17 | 15 | " | 4.5 | 15% | |
| 12:17-12:50 | 18 | " | 4.5 | 15% | |
| 12:50-01:03 | 10 | " | 4.5 | 15% | |
| 01:03-02:00 | 5 | " | 4.0 | 40% clouds | |
| 12/14-15 | 11:00-12:25 | 11 | Belmont, hot tub | 5.1 | 30% |
| 12:52-02:35 | 18 | Belmont, backyard | 5.1 | 15% |
Total count 113.
There were many bright Geminids, among them two spectacular fireballs of magnitude -5 or so. As opposed to comparable Leonid fireballs, these fireballs left trails lasting only a few seconds. I also noticed a highr proportion of bright Geminids on the 14/15 night. All in all, an excellent observation campaign, considering I stayed at home the whole time. As many readers of this group already know, its hard to beat a hot tub for this kind of of work!