From: Lew Gramar, NAMN, USA
Date: Nov. 17

We had a short scare last night, as low snowy-looking clouds rolled in
just after twilight. But by 23:45 EST, as the Leonid radiant was rising,
all clouds disappeared and the clear moonlight bathed our darkened
observing site!

Ambient temperature for the night dropped from 21oF to 16oF, in a light
variable wind. Other hearty souls present for all or part of the '97
Boston Leonid Watch included Steve Mock, John Reed, Mike Aramini, and
Karen Simmons. No skunks were in evidence, and the moonlight glittering
on fallen snow was enchanting.

--

I observed for Teff ~= 4.5 between 05:05 and 10:45 UT, in skies with LM
5.9 to 6.0, in spite of a bright moon. Even accounting for moonlight,
general LEO rates were decidedly NOT enhanced, with only 58 observed.
However, the Sickle did produce it's "usual" enhanced fireball rates,
slightly exceeding even the fine bright-meteor show of last year.

LEO rates began quietly and gradually rose with the radiant - till about
07UT, when they seemed to suddenly drop off, particularly in fainter
magnitudes. Activity increased again in the hour before dawn, with a
burst of fireballs in the few twilit minutes after I ended my session.
Raw counts for the whole night
(to be broken out later):

Site: MIT Haystack Observatory, Westford, MA (71.5W, 42.6N, 146m)
               Teff   DCV     F    LEO  NTA  STA  AMO  XOR  Spor
    0505-1045  4.5    09h+60  1.0  58   2    3    3    0    20

Nine fireballs seen during session, while 9 to 12 other meteors
magnitudes 0 to -2.5 were seen. Approximately 40% of all meteors
had trains. Brightest meteor of the night was a yellow-oranage -3,
exploding to -6 in a single flash 3o from its fainter terminus.

A formal report will follow - tonight if skies are cloudy, or tomorrow
if the weatherman is right and skies miraculously CLEAR AGAIN!