2012 Perseids count final
My final counts for the night of Aug. 11/morning of Aug. 12. The peak rate was still climbing slightly as of the time I shut down at 4:45 a.m., and the preceding hour's tally was 126 (including sporadics).
Total count for the night: 698 ...
Line on the graph annotated with small boxes is the hourly average curve (sum of counts in each 1-hr. period beginning and ending on the half hour).
The transmitter is the Air Force Space Surveillance Radar near Olney, Texas. The receiver is the SpaceweatherRadio dot com facility in New Mexico.
The geometry is such that the meteors in these counts would have appeared between 10 miles and 40 miles altitude in an arched dome about 100 miles in diameter centered a short distance north of Lubbock, Texas.
Update: The IMO "official" peak rate count was ~120/hr.
Flickr page for this photo.
Visit the Eye for Science Flickr group.
Get the "Eye for Science" widget
here
and install it on your own blog. Spread the scienticity!
Like this image? Want it for your smartphone wallpaper?
Use this QR Code to load it on your smartphone and enjoy!