From: Lauren Sobkoviak, central Oregon 
Date: Thu, 18 Nov 1999 12:16:10 -0800

Well, it isn't very scientific, and after 4.5 hours of laying out in 22
degree temps and a slight breeze blowing in my face, I decided there was no
way I would even try to be scientific about any of this.  Besides, it was
so cold, the note taking tape machine froze.

I started on Nov. 17 at 11 pm PST and began the thawing process at
approximately 3:40 am Nov. 18.  I began so early as it appeared I may get
clouded over before much happened.  My limiting magnitude was in the
neighborhood of 4.5.

Anyway, I didn't see any Leonids until about 12:30 am.  During the next
three hours, I watched a total of 44 blaze across the sky.  Unfortunately,
I can only see about one third of the sky -- from horizon to zenith looking
directly east, and from just north of Ursa Major to slight south of Sirius,
so I did miss a lot of the sky.  However, my northern view is blocked by a
tree...a tree with no leaves at the present time.  At approximately 2:40
(clock was stopping and going at this point), I watched the start of a
Leonid which moved behind the tree and as I watched it through the
branches, this bad boy suddenly exploded approximately three degrees above
the horizon.  It was so bright -- easily -12 or better -- that for about
two tenths of a second, everything was lit up in a bright golden glow.  As
a matter of fact, I actually hurt my eyes.  I immediately removed my
headphones, but never heard any noise.  Wow...nice bolide!!!!  All of the
other Leonids were between magnitude +3 to -2 with the average being
magnitude 0.

I also watched 21 sporadics, three of which were quite similar in
appearance.  The three were about the length of the distance between Castor
and Pollux, and were on the reddish side of color.  When I traced the path
back (I don't know how many people do this with every meteor, but I do), I
noticed the three intersected at point just above the rim and in the middle
of the bowl of the Big Dipper.  I found that interesting.

There were another 12 meteors I watched which radiated from a point just
north of and mid-way between Aldebaran and the Pleiades.  I figure this was
a bit too late for the Taurids, but wondered about them anyway. None of
these were anything more than maybe +2 at the max, and two appeared as
fuzzy points of light moving through the sky.

There may not have been a storm over the now cloudy skies of Central
Oregon, but there were some interesting things to see.

I have yet to decide whether that one bolide made the entire night
worthwhile (would be a no brainer had I had a better view), but in the long
run, I think it was.  Ask me again tomorrow (hopefully the cold will be out
of these 50 year old ones by then).  :)

Clear skies and bright bolides to all!