Ursids 2007

The Ursid meteor shower is underway. The parent comet 8P/tuttle is passing near Earth and the Sun next month and there is an anticipated elevation in the number of meteors that could be seen from dust streams left behind by the comet in years past. As part of the SETI research on the stream I photographed the sky Saturday morning and Saturday evening 8 hours before and 5 hours after the anticipated peak. Below is a sum of the images obtained Saturday morning. The image shows about an hour's worth of integration (5 second exposures at f/2.8 and ISO 1600) through a 16mm lens - centered on the radiant. Only one Ursid was captured (frame upper-right at11:37 UT). In addition several satellites were captured (frame center and frame lower left).


Ursid Radiant from 12:25 UT to 13:30 UT December 22, 2007.


Ursid Radiant from 01:15 UT to 03:00 UT December 23, 2007. No meteors but lots of aircraft and a couple of satellites! Its a crowded sky ain't it!?!