2023 Leonid post maximum observations (11/18-19/23)

After a very successful ACAC outreach event at Trailmark last night (11/18/23), I just got in from a pleasant albeit very humid, two-hour, early morning meteor watch for the post maximum Leonids from my usual CR 204 observing site in southern St. Johns County.

I was surprised to get a total of 21 Leonids between 3:30 and 5:30 am under finally clear and dark skies after over a week of solid overcast skies and volumes of rain!

Most of the Leonids were short and faint this morning; however, two of them were lovely -1 meteors, both seen tracking NW - one in Perseus and one in Auriga. Only one faint Taurid meteor was seen during the watch, along with 19 sporadics and one very nice member of the November Orionids also.

Here are the hourly rate break outs:

11/18-19 3:30 - 4:30 am - 9 Leonids, 1 Taurid, 1 Nov. Orionid, 8 sporadics for 19 total meteors.

11/18-19 4:30 to 5:30 am - 12 Leonids and 11 sporadics for 23 total meteors.

Not too shabby at all for the night after the maximum!