Leonids from La Habra Heights CA

by Jeffrey D. Gortatowsky

I observed from 6:30UT to 12:00UT (10:30pm to 4am PST). I observed under the gorgeously clear, warm, dry, breezy skies of my home. If I'd not been sitting in an rather inactive position (lounge chair), I could have gotten by in the sweat pants and long sleeved shirt I was wearing. As it was, a light jacket sufficed.

Being in L.A. county we are talking magnitude 4 skies in some directions (East, Zenith, part of the South), 3 or even less in others (western sky especially). Activity (IMO) was meager to say the least until ~10:40UT (~2:40am) then came a burst that lasted all of 5 to 10 minutes, then back down to a trickle. Of course things may have been better at a darker site, but not a whole lot better.

Let me put it to you this way. For the first hour I counted ZERO, zilch, nada, Leonids. Under much different conditions last year (50% to 90% cloud cover), I'd have counted at least 15 to 20 in same period, and three years ago under clear dark skies, those 15 to 20 would have almost all bright fireballs. After that first hour of seeing nothing, I knew this was not the same Leonids regardless of the moon and my light polluted skies. Fortunately I had bright my Teleport 7 and set it up. I stole a few minutes of quality time with Saturn and Jupiter to salvage some of the time.

After 9:00UT (1am) I settled down in my chair with my 35mm camera and cable release, my digi cam that could take 16 second exposures, the photo tripod to which they were mounted, and I waited. And waited. And waited. Oh yes, there were a few here, one there. And yes, there was a burst of activity around 2:40am (10:40UT). And if you indulge me a moment, yes, combined with beautiful warm night air, the moon lit pool and landscape (no street lights in La Habra Heights), it was a peaceful and serene environment (surreal?<g>). When I am done remodeling the @$!$ house, I think I'll really like living there. :)

But storm of the century? No. I missed most of the that under mostly cloudy skies, last year out near Palomar. :( If you saw that display, replay it in your mind because IMNSHO, it was better than last night's display. (At least from my vantage point on it.)

Pictures to follow... probably the highlight will be my pictures of the view lit by moonlight. :) Actually the nearly head on meteor Paul LeFevre mentioned is caught on one frame of my film if I did not over expose it. :)