"IMO-News" mailing list archive (1998) ========================================= Date: Sun, 4 Jan 1998 13:20:19 EST From: MTrenn Subject: Quadrantids 1998 Preliminary Quadrantid data 1998 Rapidly changing weather conditions allowed a few observations of the 1998 Quadrantids. Breaks are due to clouds. The data given below is a first quick look at my recordings. All observations are done from Golm, near Potsdam, Germany (13.0 deg E, 52.4 deg N). Other observers of our group will provide their data soon. All times are UT. h_R is the radiant elevation at the middle of the interval. The ZHR is calculated with r=2.1 and (1/sin h_R); no further correction. Period UT T_eff LM QUA h_R ZHR January 2-3 2332-0036 1.00h 6.19 3 26 8 0109-0135 0.38 6.22 4 34 22 January 3-4 2156-2230 0.55 6.23 8 16 58 2230-2305 0.56 6.27 11 19 67 2329-0000 0.50 6.19 7 24 41 0000-0026 0.40 6.18 6 27 40 0040-0115 0.52 6.18 9 32 40 0115-0200 0.72 6.17 12 37 35 0206-0226 0.30 6.19 5 42 31 0326-0403 0.52 6.20 15 54 44 0414-0448 0.50 6.14 8 61 24 This series obviously covers the descending branch of the maximum. No exceptionally bright meteors. Juergen Rendtel Arbeitskreis Meteore Potsdam, Germany Date: Tue, 6 Jan 1998 13:51:16 --100 From: Mirko Nitschke Subject: incomplete meteor camera set-up for sale Incomplete meteor camera set-up for sale When a series of 8 intensified meteor cameras was distributed in spring 1996 one more device was not completed. It consists of a Rayxar lens 0.75/50mm mounted to a solid optical bench like construction. An image intensifier ist not included. To match the clear field of the lens, a 25mm tube is recommended. The mechanical parts of the set-up are made for a Hamamatsu V1366 intensifier (second hand devices available for less than $1000). Due to the optical bench design other types can be adapted without problems. Furthermore, a b/w video module is necessary. Any c-mount type fits to the set-up. A power supply for the video module is already integrated. An exact twin of the system described above is operated by Sirko Molau. The image quality of the ultrafast lens is not as good as e.g. the image quality of a 1.4/50mm photo lens. However, due to the incredible focal ratio this lens is the best choice *with respect to a maximum number of meteors*. The limiting magnitude is about 9.0 in a 20 deg. field of view. The set-up is offered to people who are seriously interested in making and operating a meteor camera. Mirko Nitschke nitschke@ipfdd.de Date: Tue, 6 Jan 1998 13:31:36 +0100 (MET) From: Mailing List Operator Subject: mailing list status IMO-News Mailing List Status as of 98/01/06 ------------------------------------------- Here comes the list of the current 248 IMO-News subscribers. With this I would like to encourage private e-mail contacts among meteor observers and researchers in parallel to the information and data that is shared globally via the mailing list. I wish all of you clear skies and a happy and successful new year. Sirko Molau IMO-News Operator ------------------------------------------------------------------------ AFAM-Remanzacco radioast@mail.conecta.it Akins, Brian bakins@bruja.cs.sandia.gov Aldrich, Per Tybjerg paldrich@inet.uni-c.dk Alteholz, Thorsten thorsten.alteholz@gallien.in-chemnitz.de Anasen, Egil egil.enaasen@sortland.mail.telia.com Appelbaum, Bruce Bruce_Appelbaum@chemsystems.com Arlt, Rainer rarlt@kosmos.aip.de Armstrong, Greg GregArmstr@aol.com Ashcraft, Thomas 72632.1427@compuserve.com Asher, David davidas@cc.nao.ac.jp Assmus, Joseph D. jassmus@ucsd.edu Axenov, Stanislav stargaz@mx.iki.rssi.ru Babarovic, Ivo ivo.babarovic@guest.arnes.si Barral, Jose F. josefo@infosel.net.mx Barreno Delgado, Tinguaro barreno@arrakis.es Bartels, Mel mbartels@efn.org Bedivere, Francis francis@sunmail.chapman.edu Bellot Rubio, Luis R. lbellot@iac.es Benitez Sanchez, Orlando a1507.alumnos.ccbb@ciemar4.ulpgc.es Bettonvil, Felix bettonvl@fys.ruu.nl Bias, Peter V. bias@gate.net Bidnichenko, Mihail mx@ropnet.ru Biliskov, Nikola nikola.biliskov@public.srce.hr Biliskov, Zeljko zbilisko@pu.tel.hr Bone, Neil bafb4@central.sussex.ac.uk Boonplod, Worachate piak@deathstar.phys.sci.chula.ac.th Boschat, Michael andromed@atm.dal.ca Bouw, Jacques vidistar@pi.net Buijserd, Peter buijserd@pi.net Bull, Len lenbull@bconnex.net Burnham, Robert rburnham@execpc.com Burns, Philip R. pib@nwu.edu Bus, Peter epbus@wxs.nl Callaway, Joseph E. callaway@mbay.net Campos, Paulo campos@mail.ua.pt Carstairs, Geoff geoffy_@rocketmail.com Chevalier, Gaetan gaetanch@total.net Christofoletti, Thiago L. geda@claretianas.com.br Circolo Culturale Astronomico di Farra d'Isonzo, Italy ccaf@quark.it Cladder, Venno G.J.S. V.Cladder@net.HCC.nl Collier, Matthew collier@rouge.phys.lsu.edu Cooper, Tim tpcooper@ilink.nis.za Corneil, Gary gcorneil@flash.lakeheadu.ca Cowles, Dennis Joseph cowlesD@aol.com Crann, Tom tom@telmet.demon.co.uk Dahle, Haakon hdahle@astro.uio.no Daniels, Wayne wdaniels@gwmail.mtrl.toronto.on.ca Davis, Mark meteorobs@charleston.net Day, Walter G. A3_User2@unmsm.edu.pe De Giovanni, Martin Galea martingd@maltanet.net de Lignie, Marc M.C.deLignie@research.kpn.com de Wit, Franklin frankwit@pi.net Diko, Lukas diko@isternet.sk Dionisi, Massimo maxdio@mbox.vol.it Drobnock, George John drobnock@penn.com Eberly, Dean Rocky@Bubblegum.net Echavarria, Alejandro aechavarr@intic.net Entwisle, Len len@ironhorse.source.co.uk et Espace, Ciel cannatg@francenet.fr Ewing, George&Barbara bgewing@ix.netcom.com Fell, Denis dfell@telusplanet.net Fernandez Sayalero, Paul ferra@ctv.es Ferree, Patrick J. pferree@juno.com Fischer, Daniel dfischer@solar.stanford.edu Fischer Orell, Penny pennyo@prodigy.net Forsythe, Kathleen kforsythe@sisna.com Fujiwara, Yasunori meteor@mbox.inet-osaka.or.jp Gajos, Marcin mgaj@okwf1.fuw.edu.pl Garaj, Slaven slaven@astro.visnjan.hr Garde, Olivier ogarde@icor.fr Gevers, Dick V. dvgevers@wxs.nl Glenn, Talaue gatalaue@mail.globe.com.ph Glover, John jglover@accessus.net Goethals, Ivan igoe@geocities.com Gorelli, Roberto md6648@mclink.it Gotz, Martin gotz@het.brown.edu Graham, David C. cyberdoctor@bigfoot.com Gramer, Lew dedalus@latrade.com Graves, John A. john.graves@nashville.com Gray, Paul pgray@hercules.stmarys.ca Grbac, Neven hebeh@student.math.hr Grichshenyuk, Andrey grian@ssaa.cris.crimea.ua Gural, Peter S. pgural@trg1.saic.com Haas, Rafael haag@if.ufrgs.br Haas, Robert delpsurf@cistron.nl Hagen, Patrick pjdhagen@aol.com Hally, Wayne T. wayne.t.hally@tek.com Harriman, Dan kc5gxl@pnx.com Hartman, Joost j.hartman@hsbos.nl Hartmann, Dan Kolby xxx@post8.tele.dk Hasubick, Werner w.hasubick@abbs.heide.de Haueisen, Ralf ubas@rz.uni-karlsruhe.de Heen, Lars Trygve lars.heen@fysel.unit.no Hensler, Rich boat@cu-online.com Hilles, Steve hilles@igc.apc.org Humphrey, Conrad W. donwon4@juno.com Hutson, Stephen E. sehutson@net66.com Hendriks, Henry hhendrik@worldaccess.nl Hillestad, Trond Erik trondh@fof.kog.no Houser, James jhouser@muskingum.edu Ishiyama, Katsunori ishiyama@tky.threewebnet.or.jp Jaaniste, Helle helle@obs.ee Jack, Lianna liannaj@micronet.net Jahn, Jost jost_jahn@t-online.de Jedicke, Robert jedicke@pirl.lpl.arizona.edu Jenkins, Vicky mjenk@gte.net Jenninskens, Peter peter@max.arc.nasa.gov Jin, Ruo-lan jin@sun1.fg.tp.edu.tw Jobse, Klaas cyclops@zeelandnet.nl Johannink, Carl F. cjohannink@compuserve.com Kac, Javor Javor.Kac@guest.arnes.si Kekki, Ari akekki@sampo.tokem.fi Kennedy, Sarah jensaned@tir.com Kidger, Mark mrk@iac.es Knoefel, Andre aknoefel@ddorf.rhein-ruhr.de Kohl, Michael astro@pax.eunet.ch Koleto, Brian G. SciGuyBri@webtv.net Kondorosi, Gabor kondor@iris.elte.hu Korlevic, Korado korado@astro.visnjan.hr Koschack, Ralf koschack@novell1.ipm.htw-zittau.de Koschny, Detlef dkoschny@estec.esa.nl Koseki, Masahiro ie3m-ksk@asahi-net.or.jp Koseoglu, Hakan hkose@ada.com.trhkose@ada.com.tr Kovacic, Sanjin sanjin.kovacic@public.srce.hr Kristiansen, Oyvind oyvinkr@stud.ntnu.no Kuneth, Werfried kuneth@net4you.co.at Lancaster, Greg glancast@esc.schnet.edu.au Lane, David dlane@hercules.stmarys.ca Langbroek, Marco marcolan@stad.dsl.nl Lashley, Jeff jeff@meteor.demon.co.uk Lawrus, Nicholas A. lawrus@ibm.net Lazo, Rodrigo rlazo@caracas.geoquest.slb.com Levrat, Francois levratf@MicroNet.fr Livingstone, Richard ricliv@MailCity.com Lobo, Julio julio.lobo@mpcbbs.com.br Lukic, Vladimir lukic@uiuc.edu Lunsford, Robert L. lunro.imo.usa@prodigy.com Lysell, Ake ake.lysell@mailbox.swipnet.se Majden, Ed epmajden@mars.ark.com Malar, Stefan malarst@unipo.sk Malley, kEN M. aerospike@geocities.com Markham, Tony 101756.65@compuserve.com Marsh, Adam riker@net2000.com.au Marsola, Randy marsolar@tscvm.trenton.edu Martinez, Antonio P. amartine@elecrisc.ing.ucv.ve McEwan, Tom tmcewan@kersland.u-net.com McIntire, Wesley mcintire@futuresouth.com McNaught, Robert H. rmn@aaocbn.aao.gov.au Meister, Stefan stefan.meister@andrew.com Mendez Alvarez, Javier jma@ing.iac.es Mendez Chazarra, Nahum nahum@arrakis.es Meyer, John R. crsvarc@primenet.com Millot, Jean-Christophe papou@cipac.nc Molau, Sirko molau@informatik.rwth-aachen.de Munari, Ulisse munari@astras.pd.astro.it Neijts, Marc neyts@worldaccess.nl Niewczas , Jaroslaw jniewcz@mi.ire.pw.edu.pl Nitschke, Mirko nitschke@argos.ipfdd.de Observatorio Astronomico Municipal de Funes obsfunes@openware.com.ar Odeh, Mohammad odehjas@geocities.com O'Halloran, Brian meteor@maths11.maths.may.ie Okolic, Dragana af93012@alas.matf.bg.ac.yu Oszkar, Palinko pdeze@sezam.co.yu Oudine, Yves youdine@union-fin.fr Pacholka, Wally wallyp1@aol.com Pal, Laszlo plaszlo@epito.bme.hu Pang, Janice minthe@rocketmail.com Parzonka, Gerhard gp@oink.rhein.de Peiser, B. J. b.j.peiser@livjm.ac.uk Pekkola, Marko marko.pekkola@helsinki.fi Pereira, Vitor apereira@fc.ul.pt Piper, Derek eagles2005@aol.com Pitt, Daryl dpitt@interport.net Poerink, Urijan poerinku@worldaccess.nl Pointer, Graham Richard grp1@st-and.ac.uk Porto, Joao j.porto@mail.telepac.pt Rasmussen, Keld keld-rasmussen@email.dk Rendtel, Juergen jrendtel@aip.de Rendtel, Petra p.rendtel@tu-harburg.d400.de Richardson, Jim richardson@digitalexp.com Richter, Janko richte-j@rcs.urz.tu-dresden.de Rininger, Jeff jrininger@aol.com Rodriguez Ramirez, Francisco farr@arrakis.es Roggemans, Paul 100427.3075@compuserve.com Roldan Piraces, Alberto J. 94116794@xaee.ub.es Roman, Antonio x4254472@fedro.ugr.es Roth, Daniel roth@ph-cip.Uni-Koeln.DE Ruiz, Victor R. rvr@idecnet.com Salm, Hans hans@salm.bo Sanchez Portero, Javier jasp@dguirem.educa.rcanaria.es Sanchez Jimenez, Sergio ssanchez@dma.ulpgc.es Savic, Branislav savan@prcko.psc.ho.com Schilling, Stephan Rolf sschill@imn.htwk-leipzig.de Seet, Kelvin auvoir@singnet.com.sg Sekulic, Miodrag msekulic@kalca.junis.ni.ac.yu Shedrick, Warren warren@fltdyn.com Shimano, Kaz shimano@men.co.jp Shipley, J. L. jshipley@venus.net Siegert, Frank M. frank@this.net Sielaff, Hendrik sielaff@cipfb5.biologie.uni-osnabrueck.de Singh Sandhu, Tejbir astro@pbi.ernet.in Smallcomb, Chris RiceBag1@aol.com Smithers, Trevor tsmithers@cix.compulink.co.uk Solano Ruiz, Manuel masm@mx2.redestb.es Soller, Peter peter.j.soller@aero.org Souchet, Henry henrygs@dream.vol.net.mt Sperberg, Ulrich ulrich.sperberg@t-online.de Steel, Duncan dis@a011.aone.net.au Stehlik, Harald hst@mdcee.co.at Steyaert, Chris 72650.3513@compuserve.com Stomeo, Enrico Stefano stom@iol.it Street, David R. street@juno.com Susaeta, Javier ssta@lix.intercom.es Sveistrup, Jens jenssvei@dk-online.dk Takanashi, Masaaki qga00120@niftyserve.or.jp Teague, Corey nebul@twave.net Tell, Khaled M. vapconet@go.com.jo Tepliczky, Istvan tepi@mcse.zpok.hu ter Kuile, Casper pegasoft@cc.ruu.nl Thomas, Jon Compy@aol.com Thomas, J. T. JTQED@aol.com Tillman, Ray ray548ti@aol.com Toomey, Michael asterism@worldnet.att.net Torrell, Sebastia planet@ieec.fcr.es Trenary, Carlos trenaryc@ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu Trenn, Manuela mtrenn@aol.com Triglav, Mihaela mtriglav@ru.fagg.uni-lj.si Tukkers, Arnold sterrenwacht@Vst3.cnt.antenna.nl Vanamo, Markku mvanamo@sci.fi Verbeeck, Cis verbeeck@uia.ua.ac.be Verhage, Lloyd verhage@humec.ksu.edu Vince, Tuboly tubolyv@mail.matav.hu Vodicka, Roger roger.vodicka@dsto.defence.gov.au Voss, Bjoern stu32766@mail.uni-kiel.d400.de Vucelja, Marija vucma@corona.yfnet.org.yu Wasalai, Wimut wimut@mis.mua.go.th Wayne, Pete petew6@hotmail.com Weber, Erich weber@zlsm03.arcs.ac.at Wiche, Burkhard wiche@iphcip1.physik.uni-mainz.de Winberry, Wes winberryw@mo.abc-labs.com Wislez, Jean-Marc jmwislez@charlie.luc.ac.be Wood, Thomas THOMASW1@AOL.COM Zabic, Stanislav ypmf901@yubgss21.bg.ac.yu Zay, George GeoZay@aol.com Zekl, Hans zeklh@rhein-neckar.netsurf.de Zschage, Florian stu32765@mail.uni-kiel.d400.de Zullo, Frank fzullo@paloverde.com Zyzyck, Len lenz@injersey.com Date: Tue, 06 Jan 1998 22:26:00 +0900 From: "[ISO-2022-JP] ^[$B9bM|!!2m>4^[(B" Subject: Quadrantids in Japan:Preliminary results Visual results in Japan (The Nippon Meteor Society). ZHR has been computed with: - gamma = 1.0 (correction of Radiant elevation) - r = 2.1 - excluding:observations under unfavourable condition (T<30m, Cl>0.4, RP-h<10deg) --------------------------------------------- Time[UT] N ZHR(Qua) SD Remarks --------------------------------------------- Jan.02, 1998 18:30 1 19 - 19:30 1 16 - Jan.03, 1998 15:30 4 130 72 16:30 6 172 70 17:30 7 165 61 18:30 9 100 50 19:30 8 137 73 20:20 2 120 100 --------------------------------------------- Observers : T.Hashimoto,N.Kikuchi,K.Kobayashi,K.Kuragaki,M.Oka,K.Osada, (14members) M.Sato,H.Shioi,M.Suzuki,S.Tanaka,K.Terakubo,M.Toda,S.Yaguchi, S.Yanagi Total observations$B!'(B 1,829minutes (=30.48h) Total number of Quadrantid meteors$B!'(B825 See more details showing at: http://www2j.meshnet.or.jp/~mton/ -------------------------------------------------------------------- Masaaki Takanashi (The Nippon meteor society / Gotemba city, JAPAN) E-Mail : QGA00120@niftyserve.or.jp -------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 7 Jan 1998 05:01:12 -0500 From: Rainer Arlt <100114.1361@compuserve.com> Subject: Shower Circular - Quadrantids 1998 ------------------------------------- I M O S h o w e r C i r c u l a r ------------------------------------- QUADRANTIDS 1998 The peak time of the Quadrantids is known be varying and could be expected anywhere between solar longitudes 283.0 deg and 283.25 deg, corresponding to 1998 Jan 03, 13h30 UT and 19h30 UT respectively. It is not yet possible to derive an exact peak time; highest activity occurred at 17h30 UT on January 3, at a solar longitude of 283.17 deg. This time is close to the prediction in the 1998 IMO Shower Calendar (283.16 deg). The activity profile shows a plateau-like maximum structure, which has also been observed in previous years. We would like to thank the following observers for their quick data submission. Several observations were taken from the MeteorObs mailing list, the Japanese observations were taken from the WWW homepage of AMOTA, the Tokyo-area meteor observers. Arlt Rainer (Germany) Rendtel Jurgen (Germany) Bone Neil (UK) Rosenthal David (USA) Gliba George W. (USA) Sato M. (Japan) Hashimoto Takema (Japan) Seifert Harald (Germany) Jyotirvidya Parisanstha Group (India) Shioi H. (Japan) Johannink Carl (the Netherlands) Suzuki Mazafumi (Japan) Kikuchi N. (Japan) Tanaka Syoiti (Japan) Kobayashi K. (Japan) Terakubo K. (Japan) Kuneth Werfried (Austria, obs. from Hawaii) Toda Masayuki (Japan) Kuragaki K. (Japan) Wusk Oliver (Germany) Luthen Hartwig (Germany) Yaguchi S. (Japan) Osada Kazuhiro (Japan) Zay George (USA) ------------------------------- Date Time Sollon #Obs ZHR +- ------------------------------- Jan 3 0030 282.45 4 16 10 1100 282.90 5 32 13 1600 283.12 9 102 44 1730 283.17 8 133 48 1830 283.22 7 93 30 1930 283.26 8 123 34 2130 283.34 7 66 25 Jan 4 0030 283.47 8 46 11 0200 283.53 6 29 9 0400 283.62 6 43 19 ------------------------------- Zenithal hourly rates (ZHR) were calculated with a population index of 2.1, a zenith correction of 1/sin(hR), with hR being the radiant height. Error bars are the standard deviation of the average. Rainer Arlt, 1998 January 7 Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 15:54:33 -0500 From: Rainer Arlt <100114.1361@compuserve.com> Subject: IMO Circular QUA 1998 - Update ------------------------------------- I M O S h o w e r C i r c u l a r ------------------------------------- Update on QUADRANTIDS 1998 An update of the activity of the 1998 Quadrantids is given. Meanwhile, 46 observers from 10 countries reported 145 observ- ing periods with 1476 meteors. Note that the relative scatter of the average ZHRs in the period before the maximum is large, because most of the individual values were obtained at very low radiant altitudes. Zero-meteor detections were included in the average, although they cannot be properly corrected for sky conditions and radiant height. Arlt Rainer (Germany) Osada Kazuhiro (Japan) Bone Neil (UK) Pisarek Adam (Poland) Dygos Jaroslaw (Poland) Radu Gelu-Claudiu (Romania) Fajfer Tomasz (Poland) Rendtel Jurgen (Germany) Gliba George W. (USA) Rosenthal David (USA) Grigore Valentin (Romania) Sato M. (Japan) Hashimoto Takema (Japan) Savic Branislav (Yugoslavia) Indian Group (India), 5 people Seifert Harald (Germany) Johannink Carl (the Netherlands) Skoczewski Andrzej (Poland) Jonderko Wojciech (Poland) Shioi H. (Japan) Kar Niladri (India) Suzuki Mazafumi (Japan) Kikuchi N. (Japan) Taibi Richard (USA) Kobayashi K. (Japan) Tanaka Syoiti (Japan) Kuneth Werfried (Austria, obs. Hawaii) Terakubo K. (Japan) Kuragaki K. (Japan) Toda Masayuki (Japan) Kwinta Maciej (Poland) Trybus Pawel (Poland) Langbroek Marco (the Netherlands) Weber Milos (Czech Republic) Luthen Hartwig (Germany) Wunsche Nikolai (Germany) Micu Vasile (Romania) Wusk Oliver (Germany) Negoescu Adrian (Romania) Yaguchi S. (Japan) Olech Arkadiusz (Poland) Zay George (USA) ------------------------------------- Sollong Day Time #Obs ZHR (J2000) (UT) ------------------------------------- 281.264 01 2035 10 7.8 +- 7.3 281.462 02 0115 2 5.5 +- 0.7 282.048 02 1500 3 11.0 +- 9.8 282.235 02 1925 6 8.8 +- 9.7 282.349 02 2205 8 7.4 +- 8.8 282.503 03 0145 11 11.4 +- 9.8 282.841 03 0940 4 28.3 +-15.5 282.949 03 1215 2 29.0 +-15.6 283.122 03 1620 10 100.2 +-43.4 283.176 03 1735 10 139.4 +-45.8 283.211 03 1825 8 89.4 +-29.8 283.257 03 1930 9 117.7 +-35.7 283.319 03 2055 3 65.3 +-25.0 283.365 03 2200 9 54.7 +-28.0 283.411 03 2305 11 60.9 +-28.1 283.473 04 0035 11 47.4 +-17.5 283.521 04 0140 5 42.0 +-23.5 283.553 04 0225 8 23.5 +-10.4 283.778 04 0745 10 32.8 +-20.6 285.223 05 1745 5 8.8 +- 8.0 ------------------------------------- Zenithal hourly rates (ZHR) were calculated with a population index of 2.1, a zenith correction of 1/sin(hR), with hR being the radiant height. Error bars are the standard deviation of the average. Rainer Arlt, 1998 February 3 --------------------------------- Visual Commission International Meteor Organization email: visual@imo.net Homepage: http://www.imo.net --------------------------------- Date: Fri, 06 Feb 98 15:04:27 -0500 From: Lew Gramer Subject: Keyword Search now available for the "meteorobs" Archive [Note: Please edit/distribute freely at your site...] "Meteorobs" is an email mailing list devoted to all aspects of (primarily amateur) meteor observing: its 220+ subscribers include representatives from most major national and international amateur meteor organizations, some professional researchers, and many of the most experienced individual amateurs in the world! All postings to 'meteorobs' are archived on the World Wide Web at: http://www.tiac.net/users/lewkaren/meteorobs This 'meteorobs' home page now also includes a link to a "Keyword Search" form, which will allow you to find PARTICULAR TOPICS anywhere within the complete archive of nearly 7000 meteorobs postings dating back to early 1996. Keyword Search is available at: http://www.tiac.net/users/lewkaren/meteorobs/keysearch.html This topic retrieval is also supported in email via MajorDomo. It is hoped that this searchable archive can serve as a serious research and learning resource for the world Meteor Community. If you have any questions or suggestions about 'meteorobs', or would like to subscribe to the mailing list, please email me! There is also a Web form for subscribing at: http://www.tiac.net/users/lewkaren/meteorobs/subscribe.html Clear skies, and many meteors! Lew Gramer Date: Mon, 9 Feb 1998 17:17:31 +0100 (MET) From: Ivan Goethals Subject: (PR) Program to process meteor observations (v1.11) A while ago, I posted info about a program I wrote to process meteor observations. During the last few months, I've been improving the program (eg. plottings can be processed as well now), and I've been removing some nasty bugs. The program (Win95/NT) is called "Meteor companion v1.11", and is able to process practically all meteor countings and plottings. Using it, I was able to reduce the time I spent processing my observations by at least a factor 3. INFO ---- More info can be found at (be sure your browser supports frames...) http://www.student.kuleuven.ac.be/~m9607566/metcomp.htm !!! The pictures provided at this adress belong to an older version (1.0) PROGRAM ------- The program itself can be downloaded at http://www.student.kuleuven.ac.be/~m9607566/metcomp1.zip (use a program like WINZIP to unpack) Clear skies, and... little waisted processing time, Ivan ,---------------------------------------------------------, | Goethals Ivan | igoe@geocities.com | Van Gorplaan 32 | |--------------------------------------| B2580 PUTTE | | www.student.kuleuven.ac.be/~m9607566 | BELGIUM | |---------------------------------------------------------| | Meteor companion, the easiest way to process your | | meteor observations. | | http://www.student.kuleuven.ac.be/~m9607566/metcomp.htm | '---------------------------------------------------------' Date: 01 Mar 1998 23:39:00 +0100 From: Andre Knoefel Subject: Contents of the Proceedings of the International Meteor Conference '97 Contents of the 'Proceedings of the International Meteor Conference - Petnica, Yugoslavia - 25-28 September 1997' A. Knoefel, A. McBeath (eds.), Proceedings IMC Petnica 1997. International Meteor Organization. Duesseldorf, Germany. 1998. ISBN 2-87355-009-0. R. Arlt, J. Rendtel: First Analysis of the 1997 Perseids. 10-12 J. Gerboc: Perseids '97 in Slovakia. 13-14 S. Berinde: The analysis of Perseids '97 activity in Romania. 15-16 J. Rendtel: Analysis of recent returns of the Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower. 17-21 M. Langbroek: Conspicuous Ursid Rates in 1996. 22-27 S. Molau: Current Status of the European Fireball Network. 28-35 G. Wolf, A. McBeath: "Black Friday" Bolide over New Zealand, 1997 June 13. 36-38 A. McBeath: The Forward Scatter Meteor Year. 39-54 A. Knoefel, D. Koschny, P.B. Chilson, G. Schmidt: Meteor Observations with Radar and Video -- the SIV Experiment. 55-64 C. Trayner, N.J. Bailey, B.R. Haynes: Meteor Speed Measurement using Time-Gradient Hough Transforms. 65-76 P. Zimnikoval: Some Problems About One Telescopic Observation. 77-80 I. Getsova: Meteors above Sliven, Bulgaria. 81 A.D. Gheorghe, A. McBeath: Romanian Meteor Mythology. 82-88 C. Trayner: Electronic Help with the Observation of Meteors. 89-95 S. Molau: What attracts Internet surfers? Access statistics of IMO's WWW site. 96-104 V. Grigore: Perseids '97 event in Romania 105 Date: Sat, 28 Feb 1998 17:28:52 +0100 From: Enrico Stomeo Subject: [UAI-sm] Italian meteor results: 1998 Jan/Feb [The following text is in the "iso-8859-1" character set] [Your display is set for the "US-ASCII" character set] [Some characters may be displayed incorrectly] I send some observational data collected by members of Unione Astrofili Italiani - Sezione Meteore (UAI-sm): Code Observer ---------------- GORRO Gorelli Roberto HAVRO Haver Roberto STOEN Stomeo Enrico Loc Site Lat Long -------------------- 1 Venezia Lido, VE 45,39 -12,35 2 Frasso Sabino, RI 42,23 -12,81 Loc Obs Jan.98 UT Dur Lm Cf TOT Spor tm Teff -------------------------------------------------------- 2 HAVRO 18,768 1745-1905 1,15 5,50 1,00 6 6 40 1,08 Jan.98 Obs Teff Lm Shower -5 -4 -3 -2-1 00 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 TOT Magn ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18-19 HAVRO 1,08 5,50 Spor 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1,5 2 1,5 0 6 3,50 Loc Obs Feb.98 UT Dur Lm Cf TOT mHER xBOO VIR dLEO Spor tm Teff --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 HAVRO 7,132 0240-0340 1,00 6,05 1,00 8 2 0 0 0 6 40 0,91 1 STOEN 7,154 0330-0353 0,38 5,30 1,00 1 0 0 0 0 1 20 0,37 2 GORRO 7,156 0240-0450 2,17 5,70 1,00 18 3 1 5 2 7 30 2,02 2 HAVRO 7,177 0340-0450 1,10 6,10 1,00 18 5 2 2 1 8 40 0,90 4,65 45 10 3 7 3 22 4,21 Feb.98 Obs Teff Lm Shower-5 -4 -3 -2-1 00 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 TOT Magn ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 06-07 HAVRO 1,81 6,07 Spor 0 0 0 0 0 0 0,5 1,5 1 3 7 1 14 4,25 06-07 HAVRO 1,81 6,07 mHER 0 0 0 0 0 1,5 0,5 0,5 2 1 1,5 0 7 2,71 06-07 HAVRO 1,81 6,07 XiBOO 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0,5 1,5 0 2 4,75 06-07 HAVRO 1,81 6,07 VIR 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0,5 0,5 0 0 2 1,25 06-07 HAVRO 1,81 6,07 dLEO 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0,5 0,5 0 0 1 3,50 06-07 GORRO 2,02 5,70 VIR 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1,5 2 0,5 0 0 5 2,40 06-07 GORRO 2,02 5,70 dLEO 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0,5 0,5 0 0 2 1,25 06-07 GORRO 2,02 5,70 XiBOO 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 4,00 06-07 GORRO 2,02 5,70 mHER 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 2,00 06-07 GORRO 2,02 5,70 Spor 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,5 1 3 1,5 0 0 7 2,64 06-07 STOEN 0,37 5,30 Spor 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3,00 mu_HER radiant is in 17h44m/+29° xi_BOO radiant was the radiant indicated from George Gliba on 1997 Feb 05-06 # Enrico S t o m e o CP 654 - Venezia 30100 (I) Email: stom@iol.it - stom@unive.it ------------------------------------------------------- Unione Astrofili Italiani - Sezione Meteore http://www.mclink.it/mclink/astro/uai/sez_met/index.htm Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 11:23:11 +0100 (MET) From: Sirko Molau Subject: Visual Observations of Meteor Storms Even though it is still the basic meteor observation technique, visual observation has a number of disadvantages and limitations. One of the limitations became obvious during the spectacular Leonid meteor storm of 1966. When the number of meteors exceeded several shooting stars per second, human observers were not able anymore to follow the activity with the standard observing techniques. In 1966, the observers switched to a different method near the time of maximum of the Leonid storm. They did not count the individual meteors anymore, but opened their eyes for only a second and tried to estimate the numbers of meteors at this moment. Until now it is not perfectly clear, in how far this change of technique influenced the rates derived from the observations afterwards (EZHR>100.000). A recent A&A paper of Peter Jenniskens suggested, for example, that the activity may have been overestimated by an order of magnitude. There was an argument in recent WGN issues, whether human observers are able to give precise activity estimates at all, when the equivalent ZHR becomes bigger than 10.000. So, one of the main scientific goal for the possible return of the storm in 1998 is to calibrate the old observations with new data. The idea is to use the same observing techniques as in 1966, but operate video systems in parallel to have the 'ground truth'. If the rates will be high enough we may find out, whether visual estimates under these conditions are systematically in error, and if they are reliable at all. In Germany, a group of about 15 observers is preparing for an expedition to Mongolia. In one of the preparation meetings the idea was born, to write a computer simulation of a meteor storm. This may give us a first clue, what to expect and how the chances for accurate visual observations are. In addition, different visual methods may be tested in advance to find out, which observing technique is most appropriate for observations under very high activity. We started with a simple program of H. Luethen. It displayed an arbitrary number of lines for just one second, similar to the 1966 observing technique. Later the estimates were compared with the true number of lines displayed. The tests have been repeatedly carried out by different German observers in the last few weeks. The results were promising - usually the relative error was not larger than about 25%. A detailed analysis will be published in WGN later on. The major drawback of this first simulation was, that it had only little in common with reality. It was a good test, whether humans are able to estimate a larger number of objects at one instance, but under clear skies the job is much more difficult. This is why I decided to develop an improved simulation. Now, meteors are not anymore simple lines, but elongated moving objects. They do have different brightnesses, light curves, velocities, directions, persistent trains, etc. as in reality. Furthermore, the sequence of shooting stars is computed with an exponential distribution. Thus, the often reported 'cluster effects' become clearly visible. A number of background stars helps to improve the display. To run the program, a fast PC / graphics card is necessary. The simulation should be executed under DOS. The software is available via anonymous from IMO^Òs ftp server at ftp.imo.net, directory /pub/software/metsim, or via our WWW homepage at http://www.imo.net/visual/major03.html. Please, send your questions, data files, suggestions for improvements, and other comments to the author (molau@informatik.rwth-aachen.de). Enjoy the simulation! Sirko Molau ---------------------------------------- Sirko Molau -- Video Commission Director International Meteor Organization e-mail: video@imo.net WWW : http://www.imo.net/video ---------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 01 Apr 1998 10:54:13 +0100 From: "Francisco A. Rodr^¿guez" Subject: Fireball -15 Agrupación Astronómica de Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain). Observers: Immaculada Gómez (Gomim) Orlando Benítez (Benor) Máximo Suárez (Suama) Sergio Sánchez (Sanse) Francisco Rodríguez (Rodfr) ********************************* Places : Santa Lucía & La Avejerilla ; Gran Canaria (Canary Islands,Spain) Lat. 28º N long. 15º W Date (mm.dd.yyyy) : 03.29.1997 Hour (TU) : 01:17:45 male: 6,5 K : 0% bright (mv) : -15 wake (eye) : 3 s colour : white-blue (start) / yellow (finish) sound : 3 minutes after. speed : moderate (18º-15º/s) breaking : yes Shower: alpha Centaurids (ACE) Fireball start : Coma Berenices Fireball finish: Ursa Minor -- *********************************************** Francisco A. Rodríguez farr@arrakis.es Agrupación Astronómica de Gran Canaria Sociedad de Meteoros y Cometas de España http://ccdis.dis.ulpgc.es:8086/AAGC/aagc.html Ob. Montaña Cabreja http://www.arrakis.es/~farr *********************************************** Date: Sun, 05 Apr 1998 09:54:35 +0100 From: "Francisco A. Rodr^¿guez" Subject: Re: Fireball -15 Stefanie B. Drobnock wrote: > *********************** > > Is date correct? 3.29.1997 > drobnock@penn.com Sorry; 3.29.1998 regards -- *********************************************** Francisco A. Rodríguez farr@arrakis.es Agrupación Astronómica de Gran Canaria Sociedad de Meteoros y Cometas de España http://ccdis.dis.ulpgc.es:8086/AAGC/aagc.html Ob. Montaña Cabreja http://www.arrakis.es/~farr *********************************************** Date: Tue, 07 Apr 1998 23:07:03 +0200 From: Enrico Stomeo Subject: [UAI-sm] Italian meteor resuts: 1998 March I send some observational data collected by members of Unione Astrofili Italiani - Sezione Meteore (UAI-sm): Code Observer -------------------- HAVRO Haver Roberto Loc Site Lat Long -------------------------------------- 2 Frasso Sabino, RI 42,23 -12,81 Loc Obs Mar.98 UT Dur Lm Cf TOT VIRdDRA sLEO Spor tm Teff --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 HAVRO 21,972 2250-2350 1,00 6,10 1,00 8 2 0 0 6 40 0,91 2 HAVRO 22,014 2350-0050 1,00 6,15 1,00 6 1 0 0 5 40 0,93 2 HAVRO 22,045 0050-0120 0,50 6,20 1,00 2 0 0 0 2 40 0,48 2 HAVRO 22,951 2220-2320 1,00 6,00 1,00 12 5 0 0 7 40 0,87 2 HAVRO 23,000 2330-0030 1,00 6,10 1,00 12 7 0 0 5 40 0,87 2 HAVRO 23,035 0030-0110 0,67 6,00 1,00 5 4 0 0 1 40 0,61 2 HAVRO 27,951 2220-2320 1,00 6,10 1,00 9 5 0 0 4 40 0,90 2 HAVRO 28,000 2330-0030 1,00 6,10 1,00 6 3 1 0 2 40 0,93 2 HAVRO 28,042 0030-0130 1,00 6,10 1,00 7 0 0 1 6 40 0,92 8,17 67 27 1 1 38 7,43 Mar.98 Obs Teff Lm Shower -2 -1 00 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 TOT Magn --------------------------------------------------------------------- 21-22 HAVRO 2,32 6,14 VIR 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 3 4,67 21-22 HAVRO 2,32 6,14 Spor 0 0 0 0,5 1,52,5 4,5 3,5 0,5 13 3,81 22-23 HAVRO 2,35 6,04 VIR 0 0,5 1,5 0 2 2 3,5 6 0,5 16 3,53 22-23 HAVRO 2,35 6,04 Spor 0 0 0,5 2 1 3 1,5 5 0 13 3,38 27-28 HAVRO 2,75 6,10 VIR 0 0 0 1,5 0,5 1 3 2 0 8 3,44 27-28 HAVRO 2,75 6,10 dDRA 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2,00 27-28 HAVRO 2,75 6,10 sLEO 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 5,00 27-28 HAVRO 2,75 6,10 Spor 0 0 1 2 2 0 1,5 4,5 1 12 3,38 # Enrico S t o m e o Email: stom@iol.it - stom@unive.it ------------------------------------------------------- Unione Astrofili Italiani - Sezione Meteore http://www.mclink.it/mclink/astro/uai/sez_met/index.htm Date: Wed, 22 Apr 1998 19:44:48 -0400 From: Mark Davis Subject: NAMN Meeting Re: NAMN Summer meeting There have been enough questions about the planned NAMN meeting scheduled for this summer, that it is time for an update! What is being planned is a very informal, and unstructured, get-together, where members can meet each other and discuss any topic under the sun. The meeting is planned for the week of July 11 to 19, in conjunction with a conference being held at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia. The center of activities for our NAMN meeting will be near, but not at, the NRAO. Due to the nature of our meeting, participants are welcome to arrive and depart at any time during the week. We will attempt to schedule a tour of the observatory, and will no doubt make many day trips to local points of interest. It is expected that our in-person chats will be even more vocal than those on our mail list or in the chat room! Everyone is invited to bring along their favorite project(s) to help the discussions along. There has been some interest expressed in both motel and camping facilities. So far, we have been able to locate the following: (Note: if you are interested in either of these facilities, we recommend you contact them directly to confirm this information.) * Boyer Motel, Restaurant & Campground Rt. 1, Box 51 Arbovale, WV 24915 Tel. (304)-456-4667 Description: 20 rooms, 13 rooms A/C, 7 single rooms, cable TV, restaurant. Located on Rt. 28/92 north of Green Bank, WV. Rates (including tax): $32.70 per room (for 1 double bed) $42.51 per room (for 2 double beds) Camping fees (including tax): $8.48 per night for 1 tent with 2 people, $2.00 for each additional person $10.60 per night for trailer, with electrical hookup Note that the campground has showers. * Hermitage Motel & Restaurant P.O. Box 8 Jct. Rtes. 250 & 92/28 Bartow, WV 24920 Tel. (304)-456-4808 http://neumedia.net/~hermitage, with links to neat places to visit & NRAO Description: 50 rooms, A/C , cable TV, restaurant, public phone Located at Junction of 250, 28 & 92 (Note: Hermitage is maybe 9 miles north of the Boyer Motel, which would place it about 14 miles from the Observatory) Rates (including tax): $38.15 per room (for 1 double bed) $44.69 per room (for 2 double beds) Kim Hay has volunteered to act as the contact point for the meeting. It will be extremely helpful if everyone will contact her and "register", letting her know the dates you plan to attend, and what you will be doing about lodging. Kim's e-mail address is: kimhay@adan.kingston.net If anyone has any questions, comments, or suggestions, please let us know! Mark Davis, MeteorObs@charleston.net Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, USA Coordinator, North American Meteor Network =================================================== NAMN home page: http://medicine.wustl.edu/~kronkg/namn.html =================================================== Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 21:39:35 +0200 From: Casper ter Kuile Subject: Lyrid data LANMA + MISKO 22/23 april [Message from Marco Langbroek] Hello everybody, Below the Lyrid data of the night 22/23 April 1998 of Koen Miskotte and me. After 2.5 months with (except 2 nights in March) extremely bad weather, the Lyrid maximum night has been clear in our country! At Biddinghuizen, we had a nice clear and dark sky, with Lm up to +6.7, during the whole of the night. Only during the last hour or so, the advancing front signalling the return to instable weather for coming days became visible as a low bank of cirrus in the south-southeast (below 10-15 degrees). So we have been very lucky with the weather we can say. At this moment (late afternoon) it is....raining! Activity was good. Nice meteor rates, nice meteors. The brightest lyrid we have seen was of -2/-3 calibre. Some activity of mu Virginids and alpha Bootids too. Some nice Lyrids seen before we started observations, while still putting up our equipment. In general, it all complied well with an expected maximum early in the night (20h UT according to the DMS curve). The data of both Koen and me result in a ZHR of 14 +/- 2 for our observational interval (roughly 21:30-2:45 UT), which is indeed what it should be for this solar longitude. In morning twilight, we were able to observe the close conjunction between venus, jupiter and the moon. As the small lunar sickle rose near 5:30 local time, venus became visisble close to it. after some time, we could also discern jupiter. A very fine conjunction indeed! Robert Haas first employed his finished portable camera array. This is a true marvel of engeneering: it comes as a compact flight case easy to stuff away in your car trunk, and then you only have to release two clamps, take out the electro-motor of the rotating shutter and put it in the correct space in the setup, srew the shutter blade to it, turn a switch and there it runs!!!! 1-2 minutes at best from the moment you take it from your car-trunk. Ingenious, and very handsome to see too! This will be very good for 'crash-campaigns'. Koen had brought some delicious croissants with chocolate and cream with him. But I am still not sure what Casper did with the coffee: after I had taken some, I developed a terrible hickup for a full hour (you should hear the tape: "Ly -hick- rid, magni -hick- tude +3 -hick!", for over a full hour!). And no, we will not make comments in public about Casper's headdress... As it seems, this campaign also meant a 'goodbye' to Biddinghuizen. Most likely, this was our last campaign from this fine location. The family Appel has decided to stop their farm and to retire. This includes moving to another home. We are very sorry to loose the spot that is so excellent for observing, and to which so much precious moments are attached for us..... Luckily, the Appel family does not move far from the current location. They found a new home some 7 km west of the farm. That is a location that must be as good in sky conditions and absence of light pollution as the current location. And Mr. and Mrs. Appel made very clear to us that they would like to see us joining them again at their new home! Since their new home has some 7 acre property surrounding it, there must be enough space for our team. Cheers! :-) -Marco Langbroek Dutch meteor Society - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Date: April 22/23, 1998 Location: Biddinghuizen, the Netherlands, 52d 29'N, 5d 41' E Observer: Marco Langbroek (LANMA) UT Teff Lm Lyr mVir aBoo Spo ZHR +- 21:26-22:28 0.90 6.6 5 0 0 8 10 5 22:28-23:42 1.13 6.7 19 3 3 8 20 5 23:42-00:50 1.02 6.7 12 4 1 11 11 3 00:50-02:07 1.28 6.7 25 3 0 12 14 3 02:07-02:45 0.64 6.3 10 1 1 2 15 5 TOTAL 4.97 <6.7> 71 11 5 47 <14 +- 2> 134 meteors in total -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lyrids 1 1 5 4 11 13 20 10 6 3.2 Sporadics 1 3 2 11 18 9 3 3.7 mu Vir 1 2 3 3 2 3.3 alfa Boo 2 3 3.6 Observer: Koen Miskotte (MISKO) UT Teff Lm Lyr Vir aBoo Spo ZHR +- 21:20-22:25 1.07 6.55 4 0 2 8 9 5 22:25-23:27 1.03 6.50 12 3 0 7 20 6 23:27-00:30 0.93 6.50 9 1 1 18 13 4 00:30-01:35 1.08 6.40 10 1 0 12 14 3 01:35-02:37 1.03 6.23 12 1 0 13 15 5 TOTAL 5.15 <6.5> 47 6 3 58 <14 +- 2> 114 meteors in total -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lyrids 1 1 1 4 8 12 14 5 1 3.0 Virginids 1 0 0 2 3 0 3.8 alfa Boo 2 1 0 0 0 2.3 Sporadics 2 3 10 26 16 1 3.9 Leonids-'98? A once (twice?) in your lifetime appearance! You can't afford to miss it! Casper ter Kuile, Akker 145, NL-3732 XD, De Bilt, The Netherlands Phone: +31-30-2203170; Fax: +31-30-2202695; GSM: +31-6-54723974 E-mail1: pegasoft@cc.ruu.nl; E-mail2: casper.ter.kuile@rivm.nl; UIN: 3462901 WWW: http://www.pi.net/~terkuile/meteors/dms.htm From: Marco Langbroek Subject: erratum LANMA + MISKO 22/23 April [Message from Marco Langbroek] Hello everybody, I made a typographic mistake in my mail of 23 April reporting Lyrid data of LANMA and MISKO. Fortunately, it is not in the raw data: but in the column with preliminary ZHR results of Koen Miskotte (MISKO) the last two entries should read: 00:30-01:35 UT 11 +- 4 01:35-02:37 UT 14 +- 4 I am very sorry: fatigue must have gotten on me..... -Marco Langbroek Date: Mon, 4 May 1998 15:45:50 -0400 From: Rainer Arlt <100114.1361@compuserve.com> Subject: IMO Circular: Lyrids 1998 ------------------------------------- I M O S h o w e r C i r c u l a r ------------------------------------- LYRIDS 1998 This year's Lyrid activity turned out to be of normal level. A plateau of ZHRs between 15 and 19 was observed between solar longitudes 32.0 and 32.8 deg. Highest rates were observed from American longitudes at 32.0 deg, yet without any significance. Note the sudden increase of activity before the maximum. The decrease after the plateau is not covered by data. We would like to thank the following observers for their quick submission of observational reports: BAKLA Lars Bakman (Denmark) BETFE Felix Bettonvil (Netherlands) BALPE Petra Rendtel (Germany) DAVMA Mark Davis (USA) GERCH Christoph Gerber (Germany) HOSDA David Hostetter (USA) HUZRI Richard Huziak (Canada) LACSY Sylvio Lachmann (Germany) LANMA Marco Langbroek (Netherlands) LUNRO Robert Lunsford (USA) MISKO Koen Miskotte (Netherlands) MOLSI Sirko Molau (Germany) RENJU Jurgen Rendtel (Germany) SCHTH Thomas Schreyer (Germany) SEIHA Harald Seifert (Germany) SHUBR Brian Shulist (Canada) VANER Erwin van Ballegoij (Netherlands) ZAYGE George Zay (USA) --------------------------------------- Date Time Sollon #Obs. ZHR (r=2.9) --------------------------------------- Apr 20 0006 29.746 13 2.7 +- 3.2 Apr 20 1540 30.384 12 2.5 +- 2.2 Apr 20 2350 30.717 8 2.8 +- 2.2 Apr 21 0140 30.791 11 5.3 +- 6.6 Apr 21 0900 31.086 11 5.3 +- 7.0 Apr 21 2130 31.594 8 6.4 +- 3.8 Apr 22 0120 31.750 7 5.8 +- 3.7 Apr 22 0300 31.820 9 8.6 +- 7.1 Apr 22 0700 31.985 14 17.6 +- 8.0 Apr 22 0830 32.043 13 18.6 +- 6.5 Apr 22 2150 32.587 5 14.6 +- 7.7 Apr 22 2220 32.608 11 17.3 +- 7.0 Apr 22 2230 32.612 10 16.3 +- 6.4 Apr 23 0010 32.682 13 17.4 +- 5.3 Apr 23 0340 32.819 11 15.8 +- 7.1 Apr 23 2320 33.620 2 2.0 +- 0.4 --------------------------------------- Times are in UT, solar longitudes refer to J2000.0, #Obs is the number of individual ZHRs involved in the average, the error is the standard deviation. A constant population index of r=2.9 was used. Rainer Arlt, 1998 May 04. Date: Tue, 12 May 1998 08:24:11 +0200 From: Trond Erik Hillestad Subject: Seeking info on large Norwegian fireball May 5th I recently heard some (unconfirmed) information that a bright meteor fragmented and exploded above northern Norway on May 5th. A loud boom was heard over a large area. The boom got some houses to shake and triggered avalanches in nearby mountains - again, this is unconfirmed. Has anyone got USAF information that can be related to such an event? I believe the coordinates are about 70 N, 15 E. No, I don't have the time of day yet. All the best, Trond Date: Wed, 13 May 1998 22:17:00 +0900 From: HCE01017@niftyserve.or.jp Subject: eta Aquarids Obs.REPORT Observer Osada Kazuhiro *1 SHIZUOKA,JAPAN (E138d57' N35d22') *2 Mt. FUJI,JAPAN (E138d48' N35d20') ETA ALPHA ALPHA DATE JST TIME aM Spo. Aqr Boo Lyr Lm CL Dir ---------------------------------------------------------- 1998 May 4/ 5 2:00- 3:00 60 19 12 7 0 0 4.5 2 Z *1 6/ 7 22:58- 0:03 65 27 24 -- 1 2 5.3 1 Z *2 1:00- 2:00 60 42 30 9 1 2 6.0 1 Z *2 2:00- 3:00 60 49 29 19 0 1 6.3 0 Z *2 3:00- 3:30 30 32 15 15 0 2 6.5 1 Z *2 1998 5 6/7 1h00m-3h30m | -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6| all| ave| Lm -----------+------------------------+----+----+------- ETA Aqr | 2 2 4 6 13 13 3 | 43|2.79|6.0-6.5 ALPHA Boo | 1 | 1|-.--|6.0-6.5 ALPHA Lyr | 1 2 2 | 5|3.60|6.0-6.5 -----------+------------------------+----+----+------- Spor. | 2 2 6 6 12 25 20 1| 74|3.49|6.0-6.5 1998 May 13 22h00m Osada Kazuhiro Date: Wed, 13 May 1998 17:37:56 GMT From: Mohammad Odeh Subject: Jordanian Results of 1998 Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower. Dear Friends, I've sent the below E-mail on April 5th, but unfortunately it returned after 5 days, so hope you will get it this time. Dear Sir, The Jordanian Astronomical Society (JAS) held an observing night on 4-5/5/1998 to observe the 1998 Eta Aquarids meteor shower. Location of Observation was in Um-Nowwarah (Amman), where it was slightly light polluted. However, the Eastern horizon was fairly good; we estimated the limiting magnitude to be around 5.2. The coordinates of the observing site are: Long: + 35:57:56 Lat: + 31:56:22 Observation was started around 2:30 am local time (23:30 UT), and lasted for two hours nearly due to the twilight. The first hour was too much boring; about three Aquarids only were seen. While the second hour was much better, around 12 Aquarids were seen ! The observers were: Khalid Al-Tall, Hani Al-Dalee, and Mohammad Odeh. ** The Results ** Day Time(UT) #Obs. ZHR Error ----- -------- ------ ----- ----- 5/5 00:06 2 42 10 5/5 01:03 2 76 16 #Obs. is the number of individual ZHRs involved in the average, the error is the standard deviation. A constant population index of (r =1.95) was used. Kind Regards --- ***************************************************************** Mohammad Shawkat Odeh. Head of Occultations' Observation Committee. Jordanian Astronomical Society (JAS). odehjas@geocities.com http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/1092/index.html ***************************************************************** Date: 09 Jun 1998 12:00:00 +0000 From: Andrew Yee Subject: Satellites to be "Sandblasted" by Leonid Storm (Forwarded) The Aerospace Corporation El Segundo, California June 8, 1998 Satellites to be "Sandblasted" by Leonid Storm Dr. William H. "Bill" Ailor of The Aerospace Corporation told a congressional subcommittee in Washington May 21 that the estimated 500 satellites on orbit "will be sandblasted" by the Leonid meteoroid storm due November 17. But he said the effects on spacecraft are expected to be minimal, despite the fact the storm "will be the largest such threat ever experienced by our critical orbiting satellite constellations." Ailor, director of the Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies established last year at The Aerospace Corporation, presented his testimony during a hearing titled "Asteroids: Perils and Opportunities." He was invited to appear before the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, a panel of the House Committee on Science, by U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), subcommittee chair. "It is possible," Ailor told the subcommittee, "that some satellites will be damaged, but the most likely source of damage will not be from a rock blasting a hole in a satellite, but rather, from the creation of a plasma, or free electric charge on the spacecraft. The charge could cause damage to computers and other sensitive electronic circuits on board the spacecraft, and ultimately cause the spacecraft to fail. For example," Ailor said, "during the 1993 Perseid meteor shower, it was determined that the Olympus communications satellite was damaged by a meteor strike and went off the air shortly thereafter as a result of an electrical failure." Ailor pointed out that, "The latest information on the coming Leonid meteoroid storm was presented at the Leonid Meteoroid Storm and Satellite Threat Conference sponsored by Aerospace and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics in Manhattan Beach, California, on April 27 and 28. "The primary recommendations from the conference," Ailor reported, "were that, while it is very unlikely that the storm will have any major effect on satellites, the 'A-team' of controllers should be on duty during the ... storm, and operators should check the state of health of their satellites frequently, looking primarily for electrical anomalies and glitches. It was also recommended that, if possible, satellites be oriented so that sensitive components are shielded from the oncoming stream of particles, and that recovery plans be in place should there be a spacecraft system failure during the storm." Ailor said Aerospace collected information on spacecraft anomalies experienced during the 1997 Leonid shower and will be collecting similar information for the 1998 and 1999 events. "This information will help us plan for the 1999 Leonid and future meteoroid storms. It may also help us to understand whether additional safeguards against the meteoroid impact threat should be included in future spacecraft designs," Ailor said. Ailor's full testimony is on the Internet at http://www.aero.org/leonid/. [NOTE: Dr. David Lynch of The Aerospace Corporation presented information on this subject at a press briefing at the AAS meeting today. An image from the AAS press briefing is available at http://www.aas.org/meetings/aas192/program/press/meteors.html PHOTO CAPTION: Dr. David K. Lynch of The Aerospace Corporation told reporters of the potential threats to orbiting spacecraft by the Leonid meteoroids, expected around November 17, 1998, and the mitigation strategies adopted by spacecraft operators (June 8, 1998). AAS photo by Larry Marschall.] --- Andrew Yee ayee@nova.astro.utoronto.ca Date: Mon, 8 Jun 1998 20:37:13 EDT From: WGHM31 Subject: Leonid Meteor Storm I am interested in any information you might have regarding a possible trip to the Leonid Meteor Storm in Nov-1998 and/or 1999. Based on the information that I have been able to obtain, my understanding is that the best viewing will be in China and/or Japan. I would also appreciate it if you could forward this message to any person/group that may have information on the subject. Thank You, WGHM31@aol.com Date: Mon, 8 Jun 1998 14:00:26 EDT From: AMCBMPP@aol.com Subject: "Maize Quest: The Dragon" Meteor Shower Event, Oct. 9 1998 Maize Quest: The Dragon is a 12 acre cornfield maze in rural Pennsylvania, USA running August - November 1998. We would like to organize an event around the viewing of the Draconid Meteor Shower October 9-10. If there is any interest in this, please e-mail Hugh McPherson at hughmc@cornmaze.com and visit our website at www.cornmaze.com. Thank you! Date: Sun, 21 Jun 1998 08:42:59 -0700 From: Art Krenzel Subject: Need some assistance please, We were digging in our yard and found an elongated iron object approximately 2 X 3 cm with the outer surface quite rugged. We think it might be a meteorite. Is there anyplace one could send such an object to determine if the metal content could be evaluated to determine whether it was or was not a meteorite? It does not have a shape which would make it a candidate for a tool or any sort. It was found several feet deep in a traditionally forested area. We discovered it digging a post hole. Thank you. Art Krenzel Date: 28 Jun 1998 09:46:13 +0900 From: Koseki Masahiro Subject: Possible Pons-Winneckids(June Bootids)? Unusual meteor rates shocked Japanese observers. Evening of June 27 FM radio observer, K.Suzuki posted Japanese mailing list that he recorded three times larger rates than usual (preceding nights) from 18LT(=JST, 9UT). M.Ueda followed close behind. He wrote not three times but five times!, and continues now 23LT. National Astronomical Observatory informed us some visual witnesses arrived and suggested meteor rates was over one hundred. M.Takanashi cites from othersuggested meteor rates was over one hundred. M.Takanashi cites from other source that one can see more than 50 meteors per hour inside from astronomicalource that one can see more than 50 meteors per hour inside from astronomical dome! Y.Yabu sends report that shows this meteor shower includes fireballs. ome! Y.Yabu sends report that shows this meteor shower includes fireballs. Many visual reports suggest that the radiant point locates near boundary ofany visual reports suggest that the radiant point locates near boundary of Ursa Major and Bootes. The position and the date strongly suggest it is Pons-rsa Major and Bootes. The position and the date strongly suggest it is Pons- Winneckids! Very unfortunately, Japanese veteran visual observers wereinneckids! Very unfortunately, Japanese veteran visual observers were obstructed by clouds because it is the most rainy season in Japan. No velocity data was reported and we have not been possible to confirm it was really from the comet Pons-Winnecke by now. It will follow more details from some others concerning this special meteor show! Masahiro Koseki(The Nippon Meteor Society) Date: Sun, 28 Jun 1998 15:36:31 +0200 From: Enrico Stomeo Subject: [UAI-sm] Bootid outburst (June 27, 1998) Preliminary observational data collected by members of Unione Astrofili Italiani - Sezione Meteore (UAI-sm): Code Observer ---------------------- GORRO Gorelli Roberto HAVRO Haver Roberto STOEN Stomeo Enrico Loc Site Lat Long --------------------------------- 1 Alberoni, VE 45,36 -12,33 2 Frasso Sabino, RI 42,23 -12,81 Loc Obs Jun98 UT Dur Lm Cf TOT BOO Other ------------------------------------------------------------ 2 GORRO 27,899 2120-2150 0,50 5,6 1,00 17 15 2 2 GORRO 27,920 2150-2220 0,50 5,6 1,00 16 16 0 2 GORRO 27,941 2220-2250 0,50 5,6 1,00 14 13 1 2 GORRO 27,962 2250-2320 0,50 5,6 1,00 11 10 1 2 GORRO 27,983 2320-2350 0,50 5,6 1,00 12 8 4 2 GORRO 28,003 2350-0020 0,50 5,6 1,00 15 8 7 2 GORRO 28,031 0030-0100 0,50 5,6 1,00 14 7 7 2 GORRO 28,052 0100-0130 0,50 5,6 1,00 9 4 5 Bootid radiant 240°/+50°, about 15°diameter. tm= 30sec Loc Obs Jun98 UT Dur Lm Cf TOT BOO Other ------------------------------------------------------------ 2 HAVRO 27,899 2120-2150 0,50 6,0 1,00 18 14 4 2 HAVRO 27,920 2150-2220 0,50 6,0 1,00 18 17 1 2 HAVRO 27,941 2220-2250 0,50 6,0 1,00 19 17 2 2 HAVRO 27,962 2250-2320 0,50 6,0 1,00 14 11 3 2 HAVRO 27,983 2320-2350 0,50 6,0 1,00 13 10 3 2 HAVRO 28,003 2350-0020 0,50 6,0 1,00 14 8 6 2 HAVRO 28,031 0030-0100 0,50 6,0 1,00 14 7 7 2 HAVRO 28,052 0100-0130 0,50 6,0 1,00 12 4 8 Bootid radiant 224°/+50°; 9% with trail. tm= 40sec Loc Obs Jun98 UT Dur Lm Cf TOT BOO Other ------------------------------------------------------------ 1 STOEN 27,891 2110-2135 0,42 5,2 1,10 5 3 2 1 STOEN 27,908 2135-2200 0,42 5,2 1,10 4 3 1 Bootid radiant (1950) 220°/+59° very diffuse. tm= 20sec Obs stream -03 -02 -01 +00 +01 +02 +03 +04 +05 -------------------------------------------------------- GORRO BOO 1.0 1.0 2.0 10 10.5 17.5 25.5 13.0 0.0 GORRO Other 0.0 0.0 0.0 4.5 4.5 4.5 9.5 4.0 0.0 HAVRO BOO 0.0 0.5 2.0 9.5 11.5 10.0 16.0 21.0 17.5 HAVRO Other 0.0 0.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 8.0 2.0 12.0 6.0 STOEN BOO 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 2.0 3.0 0.0 0.0 STOEN Other 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.5 1.5 0.0 # Enrico S t o m e o CP 654 - Venezia 30100 (I) Email: stom@iol.it - stom@unive.it ------------------------------------------- Unione Astrofili Italiani - Sezione Meteore http://astrolink.mclink.it/uai/sez_met Date: Sun, 28 Jun 1998 15:05:30 +0000 From: Bev Ewen-Smith Subject: Meteor obs >From southern Portugal. Saturday night 1998 June 27. 21:30 - 00:30 We were doing routine observations under a clear dark sky and became aware of a high level of meteor activity. One of the astronomers (Derek Penn) spent half an hour counting (single observer, limited field of view due trees) and counted 27 in fifteen minutes. There were so many (and many bright ones) that there were frequently two at once (or seemed so). The frequency made it a simple matter to identify the radiant as being at the top end of Bootes (furthest from Arcturus) or perhaps a tiny bit on the Corona B side or the eta-Uma side of that point. Certainly, they far, far outnumbered sporadics, if that gives a measure. The level began high as soon as it got dark and was still performing splendidly when we packed up a little after 1 am local time. Unfortunately, nobody had the wit to suggest photographing the area of the radiant to clinch it. Perhaps we'll try again tonight if it's still going. Certainly a very fine display indeed and at least comparable to the special Perseids of a few years ago. Bev Bev M Ewen-Smith - C O A A Centro de Observacao Astronomica no Algarve, Poio, 8500 Portimao, Portugal <>< N 37 11 29.1 W 008 35 57.1 <>< Tel:082 471180 Intl:00 351 82 471180 Fax:082 471516 Intl:00 351 82 471516 Email:coaa@mail.telepac.pt WWW http://www.faro.ip.pt/algnet/coaa/ Date: Sun, 28 Jun 1998 14:25:05 -0700 From: Peter Jenniskens To: imo-news@imo.net June 28, 21h UT IAU -C22 PRO-AMAT WORKING GROUP CIRCULAR ========================================== OUTBURST ALERT - JUNE 27/28 A meteor outburst was first detected by Japanese observers on 9h UT June 27th, from an increase of meteor rates by radio-foreward meteor scatter signals (K. Suzuki, M. Ueda: 3-5 times above normal rates), with confirmation from visual observers. Raw rates of up to 50 meteors/hr were observed in the early evening (indirect reports via M. Takanashi and M. Koseki - NMS). Italian observers Roberto Haver, Enrico Stomeo and Roberto Gorelli (UAI- Sezione Meteore) observed the same outburst between 21:20 June 27 and 01:30 UT June 28, with Zenith Hourly Rates above 100. The shower was also reported from Portugal, where astronomer Derek Penn counted 27 outburst meteors in 15 minutes. The sighting is confirmed from California, where observers noticed the meteors on June 28 around 5h UT. This shower ** may still be detectable ** in the night of June 28/29 and later and further observations should be attempted by both professional and amateur observers. Of special interest is any low-level activity that continues for some time. Please inform the usual channels of your observations. The radiant has been placed near RA=224o, DEC=+50o by the Italian observers and others agree with this general location. The shower is visible throughout the night, and highest in the early evening hours. The Moon will be hardly interfering, except perhaps in the first hour(s) of the night. Radiant and time of year suggest that this is another manifestation of the June Bootids, which were detected by W.F. Denning in 1916. However, that event has been associated with comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke and the comet now has a decending node at 1.26 AU from the Sun, while the minimum distance between Earth and comet orbit during passage of the orbital plane is on June 25.15 (UT) at 0.244 AU. An unlikely large distance for meteor outburst activity, as was pointed out by Peter Bus (DMS). An alert has gone out also on IAU Circular 6954 (June 27). The following have expressed an interest in any information on this event (please inform us if this list be extended): E. Stomeo, Unione Astrofili Italiani - Sezione Meteore (stom@iol.it) CP 654 - Venezia 30100, Italy P. Jenniskens/NASA-ARC (peter@max.arc.nasa.gov) Mail Stop 239-4 Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000, USA Peter Jenniskens President IAU C-22 Pro-Amat Working Group .......................................................................... Peter Jenniskens The SETI Institute e-mail: peter@max.arc.nasa.gov NASA Ames Research Center tel: (650) 604-3086 Mail Stop 239-4 fax: (650) 604-1088 Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000 http://www-space.arc.nasa.gov/~leonid/ Date: Mon, 29 Jun 1998 01:29:58 +0000 () From: Marco Langbroek Subject: Dutch clouded out :-( Hello, Shit; we have been clouded out on both nights 27/28 and 28/29. 27/28 saw heavy rain. the afternoon of june 28 was very clear however, raising prospects and excitement after the messages on the iota Draconid/june Bootid outburst came in (Mr. Koseki and Enrique: many thanks for the quick reporting! That was really appreciated!). But in the late afternoon clouds entered from the North Sea. Last night june 28/29, Robert Haas and I have been out on the Road from 23h to 3h local time, trying to find clear weather, driving from Leiden to Amsterdam, from Amsterdam into the Flevo-polders to Dronten, then into the Veluwe, via Ermelo, Putten to Arnhem (the famous city in which the 'Bridge too far' is located), and then back again. Allas, all our efforts were only rewarded with a few glimpses of stars in keyhole-size clearings and finally massive clouds and lightning. Well, we have tried to the best of our possibilities buth weather just not cooperates at the moment. - Marco Langbroek Dutch Meteor Society, the Netherlands From news@charlie.luc.ac.be Mon Jun 29 19:32:02 1998 Date: Mon, 29 Jun 1998 14:50:48 +0200 (MET DST) From: Mailing List Operator Reply-To: marcolan@stad.dsl.nl To: imo-news@imo.net Subject: june Bootids 1995-1997 ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 29 Jun 1998 12:23:53 +0000 () From: Marco Langbroek Dear all, With respect to the june Bootid (or 'iota Draconid'/ june-Draconid) outburst of last weekend, it is perhaps usefull to report that Dutch observers have noted a possible very low level activity of this stream in the period 1995-1997. Koen Miskotte and I started to classify this stream in 1995, because it appeared in Peter Jenniskens' outburst catalogue (A&A 295 (1995), 206). The observations of stream members reported below have been abstracted from narrative observational reports by Koen and me in Radiant (journ. DMS) vols. 17 (1995) p. 71-73; and vol. 19 (1997) p. 99-102; this log is >not< necessary complete....! Thus regard this communication as preliminary. Koen will check the original data sheets in the DMS Delphinus archives this week for possible additional observations, full observational data and also zero detections (which we also file but which do not appear in the short narrative reports in "Radiant"). Koen and I always plot our meteors outside main stream maximum periods, so reclassifications from a >good, reliable< 1998 radiant position are possible. All obs. intervals below are roughly centered at 0h UT by the way. obs. date iDra Lm Teff Langbroek 26/27-06-1995 1 6.1 1.97 Miskotte 27/28-06-1995 1 6.5 2.02 Miskotte 28/29-06-1995 1 6.1 1.92 Langbroek 28/29-06-1997 1 6.1 2.00 Langbroek 5/6-07-1997 1 6.5 1.00 It concerns very slow distinctive meteors from a radiant near RA 230, dec. +55, with radiant diameter taken in classifying (by Langbroek) approx. 15 degrees. The data point to the possibility of a very low level annual activity over several days with ZHR very low, <2. Please note that with such low rates sporadic line-ups can occur! Since the meteors are distinctive slow however, it would surprise me if all the specimens reported above were in reality sporadics however. More info follows when Koen finished checking the archive. - Marco Langbroek Dutch meteor Society (DMS) Team "Delphinus" Date: Thu, 2 Jul 1998 18:15:27 +0200 (CEST) From: Sirko Molau Subject: 1999 Meteor Shower Calendar available Hello folks, the 1999 IMO Meteor Shower Calendar is now available at http://www.imo.net/calendar/cal99.html Best regards, Sirko Molau IMO Webmaster Date: 02 Jul 1998 07:54:00 +0000 From: Andre Knoefel Subject: IMO 1999 Meteor Shower Calendar International Meteor Organization 1999 Meteor Shower Calendar (Net-Version) ========================================= compiled by Alastair McBeath based on data in IMO Monograph No.2: Handbook for Visual Meteor Observers, edited by Juergen Rendtel, Rainer Arlt and Alastair McBeath, IMO, 1995; with additional contributions from Rainer Arlt and Marc de Lignie. Layout by Andre Knoefel. Introduction ------------ Welcome to the 1999 International Meteor Organization (IMO) Meteor Shower Calendar. The year promises to be another interesting one, with many major showers free from moonlight interference (except the Quadrantids, eta- Aquarids, Southern delta-Aquarids and Orionids). The Leonids may possibly produce high to very high activity in November, while in August, the millennium's last total solar eclipse ensures perfect conditions for the Perseids. Do not forget that monitoring of meteor activity should ideally be carried on throughout the rest of the year too, however! We appreciate that this is not practical for many observers, and this Calendar was devised as a means of helping observers deal with reality by highlighting times when a particular effort may most usefully be employed. Although we include to-the- hour predictions for all the more active night-time and daytime shower maxima, based on the best available data, please note that in many cases, such maxima are not known more precisely than to the nearest 1deg of solar longitude (even less accurately for the daytime radio showers, which have received little attention in recent years). In addition, variations in individual showers from year to year mean past returns are at best only a guide as to when even major shower peaks can be expected, plus as some showers are known to show particle mass-sorting within their meteoroid streams, the radio, telescopic, visual and photographic meteor maxima may occur at different times from one another, and not necessarily just in these showers. The majority of data available are for visual shower maxima, so this must be borne in mind when employing other observing techniques. The heart of the Calendar is the Working List of Visual Meteor Showers, thanks to regular updating from analyses using the IMO's Visual Meteor Database, the single most accurate listing available anywhere today for naked-eye meteor observing. Even this can never be a complete list of all meteor showers, since there are many showers which cannot be properly detected visually, and some which only photographic, radar, telescopic, or video observations can separate from the background sporadic meteors, present throughout the year. The IMO's aims are to encourage, collect, analyze, and publish combined meteor data obtained from sites all over the globe in order to further our understanding of the meteor activity detectable from the Earth's surface. Results from only a few localized places can never provide such total comprehension, and it is thanks to the efforts of the many IMO observers worldwide since 1988 that we have been able to achieve as much as we have to date. This is not a matter for complacency, however, since it is solely by the continued support of many people across the whole world that our steps towards constructing a better and more complete picture of the near-Earth meteoroid flux can proceed. This means that all meteor workers, wherever they are and whatever methods they use to record meteors, should follow the standard IMO observing guidelines when compiling their information, and submit their data promptly to the appropriate Commission for analysis. Visual and photographic techniques remain popular for nightly meteor coverage (weather permitting), although both suffer considerably from the presence of moonlight. Telescopic observations are less popular, but they allow the fine detail of shower radiant structures to be derived, and they permit very low activity showers to be accurately detected. Video methods have been dynamically applied in the last few years, and are starting to bear considerable fruit. These have the advantages, and disadvantages, of both photographic and telescopic observing, but are already increasing in importance. Radio receivers can be utilized at all times, regardless of clouds, moonlight, or daylight, and provide the only way in which 24-hour meteor observing can be accomplished for most latitudes. Together, these methods cover virtually the entire range of meteoroid sizes, from the very largest fireball-producing events (using all-sky photographic patrols or visual observations) through to tiny dust grains producing extremely faint telescopic or radio meteors. However and whenever you are able to observe, we wish you all a most successful year's work and very much look forward to receiving your data. Clear skies! January to March ---------------- The year's first quarter brings several low activity showers, including the diffuse ecliptical stream complex, the Virginids, active from late January to mid-April. Of the two major showers, the northern-hemisphere Quadrantids (visual peak around January 3, 23h UT) are lost to bright moonlight. The southern-hemisphere alpha-Centaurids (maximum expected circa February 8, 10h UT) are somewhat better-placed, but the last quarter Moon rises around local midnight on February 8, a nuisance as the shower is most observable only after late evening. However, the minor delta-Cancrids benefit from new Moon in January, as do the gamma-Normids in March. Daylight radio peaks are due from the Capricornids/Sagittarids around 20h UT on February 1, and the chi- Capricornids on February 13, probably around 21h UT. Neither radio shower has been well-observed in recent times, and as both have radiants under 10deg-15deg west of the Sun at maximum, they cannot be regarded as visual targets even from the southern hemisphere. delta-Cancrids -------------- Active: January 1 - 24; Maximum: January 17 (lambda = 297deg); ZHR = 4; Radiant: alpha = 130deg, delta = +20deg, Radiant drift: see Table 3; size: alpha = 20deg x delta = 10deg; V = 28 km/s; r = 3.0; TFC: alpha = 115deg, delta = +24deg and alpha = 140deg, delta = +35deg (beta > 40deg N); alpha = 120deg, delta = -03deg and alpha = 140deg, delta = -03deg (beta < 40deg N). This minor stream is well-suited to telescopic observations, with its large, complex radiant area, that probably consists of several sub-centers. Many of its meteors are faint. It is probably an early part of the Virginid activity. Recent observations show the delta-Cancrid ZHR is unlikely to rise much above 3-4, and the visual maximum may fall around lambda = 291deg (1999 January 11). January's new Moon on January 17 provides an excellent opportunity for checking what happens this year. The long winter nights in the northern hemisphere provide a further incentive, though the radiant is above the horizon almost all night, whether your site is north or south of the equator. Even on January 11, the first half of the night is Moon-free for all observers. gamma-Normids ------------- Active: February 25 - March 22; Maximum: March 14 (lambda = 353deg); ZHR = 8; Radiant: alpha = 249deg, delta = -51deg, Radiant drift: see Table 3; Radius: 5deg; V = 56 km/s; r = 2.4; TFC: alpha = 225deg, delta = -26deg and alpha = 215deg, delta = -45deg (beta < 15deg S). gamma-Normid meteors are similar to the sporadics in appearance, and for most of their activity period, their ZHR is virtually undetectable above this background rate. The peak itself is normally quite sharp, with ZHRs of 3+ noted for only a day or two to either side of the maximum. Activity may vary somewhat at times, with occasional broader, or less obvious, maxima having been reported in the past. Post-midnight watching yields best results, when the radiant is rising to a reasonable elevation from southern hemisphere sites. The waning crescent Moon on March 14 rises around or after 02h local time south of the equator, and should cause only minor problems. All forms of observation can be carried out for the shower, although most northern observers will see nothing from it. April to June ------------- Meteor activity picks up towards the April-May boundary, with showers like the Lyrids, pi-Puppids (maximum due around April 24, 02h UT) and eta-Aquarids (peak between May 5, 10h UT to May 6, 11h UT), with both these latter sources suffering from moonlight this year. During May and June, most of the activity is in the daytime sky, with six shower peaks expected during this time. Although a few meteors from the o-Cetids and Arietids have been reported from tropical and southern hemisphere sites visually in previous years, sensible activity calculations cannot be carried out from such observations. For radio observers, the expected UT maxima for these showers are as follows: April Piscids -- April 20, 19h UT; delta-Piscids -- April 24, 19h UT; epsilon-Arietids -- May 9, 18h UT; May Arietids -- May 16, 19h UT; o-Cetids -- May 20, 17h UT; Arietids -- June 7, 21h UT; zeta-Perseids -- June 9, 20h UT; beta-Taurids -- June 28, 20h UT. The ecliptical complexes continue with some late Virginids and the best from the minor Sagittarids in May-June. Visual observers should also be alert for any possible June Lyrids this year. Lyrids ------ Active: April 16 - 25; Maximum: April 22, 16h UT (lambda = 32.1deg); ZHR = 15 (can be variable, up to 90); Radiant: alpha = 271deg, delta = +34deg, Radiant drift: see Table 3; Radius: 5deg; V = 49 km/s; r = 2.9; TFC: alpha = 262deg, delta = +16deg and alpha = 282deg, delta = +19deg (beta > 10deg S). The Lyrids are best viewed from the northern hemisphere, but they are observable from many sites north and south of the equator, and are suitable for all forms of observation. Maximum rates are generally attained for only an hour or two at best, although in 1996, mean peak ZHRs of 15-20 persisted for around 8-12 hours. The ZHR can be rather erratic at times, a variability also seen in 1996, when rates ranged between 10-30 from hour to hour during the peak. The last high maximum occurred in 1982 over the USA, when a very short-lived ZHR of 90 was recorded. This unpredictability always makes the Lyrids a shower to watch, since we cannot say when the next unusual return may occur. As the shower's radiant rises during the night, watches can be usefully carried out from about 22:30 local time onwards. This year, the first quarter Moon sets around 01h-02h local time north of the equator, so will cause only slight problems in the early post-midnight period. The predicted maximum should favour sites in Eastern Russia and Asia if correct, but variations in the stream could mean this is not the case in actuality. June Lyrids ----------- Active: June 11 - 21; Maximum: June 16 (lambda = 85deg); ZHR = variable, 0 - 5; Radiant: alpha = 278deg, delta = +35deg, Radiant drift: June 10 alpha = 273deg, delta = +35deg, June 15 alpha = 277deg, delta = +35deg, June 20 alpha = 281deg, delta = +35deg; Radius: 5deg; V = 31 km/s; r = 3.0. This shower does not feature in the current IMO Working List of Visual Meteor Showers, as apart from some activity seen from northern hemisphere sites in a few years during the 1960s (first seen 1966) and 1970s, evidence for its existence has been virtually zero since. In 1996, several observers independently reported some June Lyrids, however, and because the shower's probable maximum benefits from a waxing crescent Moon this year, we urge all observers who can to cover this possible stream. The radiant is a few degrees south of the bright star Vega (alpha Lyrae), so will be well on-view throughout the short northern summer nights, but there are discrepancies in its position in the literature. All potential June Lyrids should be carefully plotted, paying especial attention to the meteors' apparent velocity. Confirmation or denial of activity from this source in 1999 would be very useful. July to September ----------------- Minor shower activity continues apace from near-ecliptic sources throughout this quarter, first from the Sagittarids, then the Aquarid and Capricornid showers, and finally the Piscids into September. The two strongest sources, the Southern delta-Aquarids (peak on July 28, 12h UT) and the alpha- Capricornids (maximum July 30), are lost to July's full Moon, along with the less-active Piscis Austrinids and the Southern iota-Aquarids. However, the Pegasids and Phoenicids in July, the Perseids in August and the delta- Aurigids in September do much better. The Northern delta-Aquarid (around August 9) and kappa-Cygnid (August 18) maxima should be good too, but the alpha-Aurigids (peak due around September 1, 12h UT) are another lunar casualty, together with the most likely Piscid peak, on September 20. For daylight radio observations, the interest of May-June has waned, but there remain the visually-inaccessible gamma-Leonids (peak circa August 25, 21h UT), and a tricky visual shower, the Sextantids (maximum expected September 27, 20h UT). The latter has particular problems from the almost full Moon, and rises less than an hour before dawn in either hemisphere anyway. Pegasids -------- Active: July 7 - 13; Maximum: July 10 (lambda = 107.5deg); ZHR = 3; Radiant: alpha = 340deg, delta = +15deg, Radiant drift: see Table 3; Radius: 5deg; V = 70 km/s; r = 3.0; TFC: alpha = 320deg, delta = +10deg and alpha = 332deg, delta = +33deg (beta > 40deg N); alpha = 357deg, delta = +02deg (beta < 40deg N). Monitoring this short-lived minor shower is not easy, as a few cloudy nights mean its loss for visual observers, but with the Moon nearly new for its peak this year, everyone - particularly those in the northern hemisphere - should attempt to cover it. The shower is best-seen in the second half of the night, and the Moon will be only a slight distraction near dawn. The maximum ZHR is generally low, and swift, faint meteors can be expected. Telescopic observing would be especially useful. July Phoenicids --------------- Active: July 10 - 16; Maximum: July 13 (lambda = 111deg); ZHR = variable 3 - 10, usually <4; Radiant: alpha = 32deg, delta = -48deg, Radiant drift: see Table 3; Radius: 7deg; V = 47 km/s; r = 3.0; TFC: alpha = 041deg, delta = -39deg and alpha = 066deg, delta = -62deg (beta < 10deg N). This minor shower can be seen from the southern hemisphere, from where it only attains a reasonable elevation above the horizon after midnight. This is an ideal year to watch it, since new Moon falls perfectly for its expected peak. Activity can be quite variable visually, and indeed observations show it is a richer radio meteor source (possibly also telescopically too, but more results are needed). The peak has not been well-observed for some considerable time, though recent years have brought maximum ZHRs of under 4, when the winter weather has allowed any coverage at all. More data would be very welcome! Perseids -------- Active: July 17 - August 24; Maxima: August 12, 23h UT (lambda = 139.81deg), August 13, 05h UT (lambda = 140.03deg) and August 13, 13h UT (lambda = 140.35deg); ZHR: primary peak = variable, recently ~120-160, secondary and tertiary peaks = 100; Radiant: alpha = 46deg, delta = +58deg, Radiant drift: see Table 3; Radius: 5deg; V = 59 km/s; r = 2.6; TFC: alpha = 019deg, delta = +38deg and alpha = 348deg, delta = +74deg before 02h local time; alpha = 043deg, delta = +38deg and alpha = 073deg, delta = +66deg after 02h local time (beta > 20deg N); PFC: alpha = 300deg, delta = +40deg, alpha = 000deg, delta = +20deg or alpha = 240deg, delta = +70deg (beta > 20deg N). The Perseids have become the single most exciting and dynamic meteor shower in recent times, with outbursts producing EZHRs of 400+ in 1991 and 1992, decreasing to around 300 in 1993, 220 in 1994 and ~120-160 since, at the shower's primary maximum. Allowing for an average annual shift of ~+0.05deg in lambda since 1991, this peak is expected to fall around 23h UT on August 12. Other timing variations cannot be ruled-out, however. A new feature in 1997 was a tertiary peak, of strength comparable to the traditional (currently secondary) maximum, but a few hours after it. The timing for this third peak is based on just this one return, but there are no guarantees it will recur in 1999. Even now, as the Perseids' parent comet, 109P/Swift- Tuttle, returns to the outer Solar System after its 1992 perihelion passage, the shower can still spring surprises! The August new Moon provides the perfect opening for all watchers, certainly. As the radiant rises throughout the night for the northern hemisphere, near and post-midnight watching is most valuable. If the maxima appear as predicted the places to be should be Europe; Eastern North America; Far Eastern Siberia, Alaska and the Northern Pacific Ocean, respectively. Visual and photographic observers should need little encouragement to cover this stream, but telescopic and video watching near the main peak would be valuable in confirming or clarifying the possibly multiple nature of the Perseid radiant, something not detectable visually. Radio data would naturally enable early confirmation, or detection, of perhaps otherwise unobserved maxima if the timings prove unsuitable for land-based sites. The only negative aspect to the shower is the impossibility of covering it from the bulk of the southern hemisphere. delta-Aurigids -------------- Active: September 5 - October 10; Maximum: September 9 (lambda = 166deg); ZHR = 6; Radiant: alpha = 60deg, delta = +47deg, Radiant drift: see Table 3; Radius: 5deg; V = 64 km/s; r = 3.0; TFC: alpha = 052deg, delta = +60deg; alpha = 043deg, delta = +39deg and alpha = 023deg, delta = +41deg (beta > 10deg S). An essentially northern hemisphere shower, badly in need of more observations. The delta-Aurigids are actually part of a series of showers with radiants in Aries, Perseus, Cassiopeia and Auriga, active from late August into October. They typically produce low rates of generally faint meteors, and have yet to be well-seen in more than an occasional year. Circumstances are perfect for their peak in 1999, with new Moon on September 9. Telescopic data to examine all the radiants in this region of sky - and possibly observe the telescopic beta-Cassiopeids simultaneously - would be especially useful, but photographs, video records and visual plotting would be welcomed too. The delta-Aurigid radiant is at a useful elevation from roughly 23h-00h onwards, so protracted watching is distinctly possible. October to December ------------------- Ecliptical minor shower activity reaches what might be regarded as a peak in early to mid November, with the Taurid streams in action. Before then is a moonless Draconid epoch, together with badly Moon-affected epsilon-Geminid and Orionid maxima, all in October. The Orionids' central peak is likely around 20h UT on October 21 for radio observers. The Leonids in November may still be capable of producing high to storm activity this year, but the alpha-Monocerotids (November 22, 01h UT) are lost to the Moon. December's new Moon is excellent news for covering the chi-Orionids, Phoenicids, Puppid- Velids, Monocerotids and sigma-Hydrids, along with the Geminids. The downside is losing the Coma Berenicids and Ursids (peak due circa December 22, 23h UT) to full Moon. Draconids --------- Active: October 6 - 10; Maximum: October 9, 03h UT (lambda = 195.4deg); ZHR = periodic, up to storm levels; Radiant: alpha = 262deg, delta = +54deg, Radiant drift: negligible; Radius: 5deg; V = 20 km/s; r = 2.6; TFC: alpha = 290deg, delta = +65deg and alpha = 288deg, delta = +39deg (beta > 30deg N). New Moon perfectly favours any Draconids that appear this year. Unfortunately for potential observers, although this periodic shower has produced spectacular, brief, meteor storms twice already this century, in 1933 and 1946, and lower rates in several other years (ZHRs ~20-200+), so far, detectable activity has only been seen in years when the stream's parent comet, 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, has returned to perihelion. It did this last in 1998 November. The peak time above is based on the Earth's closest approach to the comet orbit's node, but activity might be seen before or considerably after this too. The radiant is circumpolar from many locations, but is higher in the pre-midnight and near-dawn hours on October 8-10. The shower is only properly observable from the northern hemisphere. Taurids ------- Southern Taurids ---------------- Active: October 1 - November 25; Maximum: November 5 (lambda = 223deg); ZHR = 5; Radiant: alpha = 52deg, delta = +13deg, Radiant drift: see Table 3; Size: alpha = 20deg x delta = 10deg; V = 27 km/s; r = 2.3; TFC: Choose fields on the ecliptic and ~10deg E or W of the radiants (beta > 40deg S). Northern Taurids ---------------- Active: October 1 - November 25; Maximum: November 12 (lambda = 230deg); ZHR = 5; Radiant: alpha = 58deg, delta = +22deg, Radiant drift: see Table 3; Size: alpha = 20deg x delta = 10deg; V = 29 km/s; r = 2.3; TFC: as Southern Taurids. These two streams forms a complex associated with Comet 2P/Encke. Defining their radiants is best achieved by careful visual or telescopic plotting, photography or video work, since they are large and diffuse. The brightness and relative slowness of many shower meteors makes them ideal targets for photography, while these factors coupled with low, steady combined Taurid rates makes them excellent targets for newcomers to practice their plotting techniques on. The activity of both streams produces an apparently plateau- like maximum for about ten days in early November, and the shower has a reputation for producing some superbly bright fireballs at times, although seemingly not in every year. In 1995, an impressive crop of brilliant Taurids occurred between late October and mid-November, for instance. New Moon on November 8 means the entire Taurid peak should be treated to dark skies in 1999. The near-ecliptic radiants for both shower branches mean all meteoricists can observe the streams. Northern hemisphere observers are somewhat better- placed, as here suitable radiant zenith distances persist for much of the late autumnal nights. Even in the southern hemisphere, a good 3-5 hours' watching around local midnight is possible with Taurus well above the horizon, however. Leonids ------- Active: November 14 - 21; Maximum: November 17, 23h UT (lambda = 235.16deg); ZHR = 100+ (45 in 1996, ~150? in 1997), but may reach storm level in 1999; Radiant: alpha = 153deg, delta = +22deg, Radiant drift: see Table 3; Radius: 5deg; V = 71 km/s; r = 2.9; TFC: alpha = 140deg, delta = +35deg and alpha = 129deg, delta = +06deg (beta > 35deg N); or alpha = 156deg, delta = -03deg and alpha = 129deg, delta = +06deg (beta < 35deg N). PFC: before 00h local time alpha = 120deg, delta = +40deg (beta > 40deg N); before 04h local time alpha = 120deg, delta = +20deg and after 04h local time alpha = 160deg, delta = 00deg (beta > 00deg N); before 00h local time alpha = 120deg, delta = +10deg (beta > 40deg N); and alpha = 160deg, delta = -10deg (beta < 00deg N). The perihelion passage of the Leonids' parent comet, 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, in 1998 February means high to storm-level Leonid activity may occur in 1999. There are, of course, no guarantees that this will happen, but all observers must realise that even discovering the absence of any unusual Leonid activity would still be very valuable information - albeit not all that interesting to witness! Recent visual IMO International Leonid Watch and radio observations suggest a peak timing around lambda = 235.16deg is most likely, but another plausible time is when the Earth passes the node of the comet's orbit, at lambda = 235.25deg (1999 November 18, 01h UT). The radiant rises only around local midnight (or indeed afterwards south of the equator), by which time the waxing gibbous Moon will be setting. Either suggested peak timing would favour locations in Europe, North Africa, the Near and Middle East plus European Russia. Even a minor variation in the peak's occurrence could mean places east or west of this zone may see something of the shower's best too, however. Look out for further updates in the IMO's journal WGN after the 1998 return. All observing methods should be utilised to the full, especially photography and video if a storm manifests. chi-Orionids ------------ Active: November 26 - December 15; Maximum: December 2 (lambda = 250deg); ZHR = 3; Radiant: a = 82deg, delta = +23deg, Radiant drift: see Table 3; Radius: 8deg; V = 28 km/s; r = 3.0; TFC: alpha = 083deg, delta = +09deg and alpha = 080deg, delta = +24deg (beta > 30deg S). A weak visual stream, but moderately active telescopically. Some brighter meteors have been photographed too. The shower has at least a double radiant, but the southern branch has been rarely detected. The chi-Orionids may be a continuation of the ecliptic complex after the Taurids cease to be active. The radiant used here is a combined one, suitable for visual work, although telescopic or video observations should be better-able to determine the exact radiant structure. The waning crescent Moon should give few problems, as the radiant is well on display in both hemispheres throughout the night. Phoenicids ---------- Active: November 28 - December 9; Maximum: December 6, 20h UT (lambda = 254.25deg); ZHR = variable, usually 3 or less, may reach 100; Radiant: alpha = 18deg, delta = -53deg, Radiant drift: see Table 3; Radius: 5deg; V = 18 km/s; r = 2.8; TFC: alpha = 040deg, delta = -39deg and alpha = 065deg, delta = -62deg (beta < 10deg N). Only one impressive Phoenicid return has so far been reported, that of its discovery in 1956, when the ZHR was ~100. Three other potential bursts of lower activity have been reported, but never by more than one observer, under uncertain circumstances. Reliable IMO data shows recent activity to be virtually nonexistent. This may be a periodic shower, however, and more observations of it are needed by all methods. Radio workers may find difficulties, as radar echoes from the 1956 event were only 30 per hour, perhaps because these low-velocity meteors produce too little radio- reflecting ionization. Observing conditions this year are excellent for all southern hemisphere watchers, with new Moon on December 7. The radiant is well on view for most of the night, but culminates at dusk. Puppid-Velids ------------- Active: December 1 - 15; Maximum: December ~7 (lambda ~ 255deg); ZHR ~10; Radiant: alpha = 123deg, delta = -45deg, Radiant drift: see Table 3; Radius: 10deg; V = 40 km/s; r = 2.9; TFC: alpha = 090deg to 150deg, delta = -20deg to -60deg; choose pairs of fields separated by about 30deg in a, moving eastwards as the shower progresses (b < 10deg N). This is a very complex system of poorly-studied showers, visible chiefly to those south of the equator. Up to ten sub-streams have been identified, with radiants so tightly clustered, visual observing cannot readily separate them. Photographic, video or telescopic work would thus be sensible, or very careful visual plotting. The activity is so badly-known, we can only be reasonably sure that the highest rates occur in early to mid December, perfect for the new Moon period this year. Some of these showers may visible from late October to late January. Most shower meteors are quite faint, but occasional bright fireballs, notably around the suggested maximum here, have been reported previously. The radiant area is on-view all night, but is highest towards dawn. Monocerotids ------------ Active: November 27 - December 17; Maximum: December 9 (lambda = 257deg); ZHR = 3; Radiant: alpha = 100deg, delta = +08deg, Radiant drift: see Table 3; Radius: 5deg; V = 42 km/s; r = 3.0; TFC: alpha = 088deg, delta = +20deg and alpha = 135deg, delta = +48deg (beta > 40deg N); or alpha = 120deg, delta = -03deg and alpha = 084deg, delta = +10deg (b < 40deg N). Only low visual rates can be expected from this source, making accurate visual plotting, telescopic or video work essential, particularly because the meteors are normally faint. The shower details, even including the radiant position, are rather uncertain. Recent IMO data shows only weak signs of a maximum as indicated above. Telescopic data suggests a later maximum, around December 16 (lambda ~264deg) from a radiant at alpha = 117deg, delta = +20deg. This is a very good year for all meteor workers to make observations to help resolve these points, as the Moon is not a problem. The radiant is on-show nearly all night, culminating around 01h local time. sigma-Hydrids ------------- Active: December 3 - 15; Maximum: December 12 (lambda = 260deg); ZHR = 2; Radiant: alpha = 127deg, delta = +02deg, Radiant drift: see Table 3; Radius: 5deg; V = 58 km/s; r = 3.0; TFC: alpha = 095deg, delta = 00deg and alpha = 160deg, delta = 00deg (all sites, after midnight only). Although first detected in the 1960s by photography, sigma-Hydrids are typically swift and faint, and rates are generally very low, close to the visual detection threshold. Since their radiant, a little over 10deg east of the star Procyon (alpha Canis Minoris), is near the equator, all observers can cover this shower. The radiant rises in the late evening hours, but is best viewed after local midnight. This means the waxing crescent Moon will have set long before sigma-Hydrid watching can begin at their peak in 1999. Recent data indicates the peak may occur up to six days earlier than suggested above, and would benefit from visual plotting, telescopic or video work to pin it down more accurately. Geminids -------- Active: December 7 - 17; Maximum: December 14, 11h UT (lambda = 262.0deg); ZHR = 120; Radiant: alpha = 112deg, delta = +33deg, Radiant drift: see Table 3; Radius: 5deg; V = 35 km/s; r = 2.6; TFC: alpha = 087deg, delta = +20deg and alpha = 135deg, delta = +49deg before 23h local time, alpha = 087deg, delta = +20deg and alpha = 129deg, delta = +20deg after 23h local time (beta > 40yN); alpha = 120deg, delta = -03deg and alpha = 084deg, delta = +10deg (beta < 40deg N). PFC: alpha = 150deg, delta = +20deg and alpha = 060deg, delta = +40deg (beta > 20deg N); alpha = 135deg, delta = -05deg and alpha = 080deg, delta = 00deg (beta < 20deg N). One of the finest annual showers presently observable. The waxing crescent Moon will have set by about 22h-23h local time at their peak, so much of the second half of the night at least will be available for observing them. Well north of the equator, their radiant rises around sunset, and is at a usable elevation from the local evening hours onwards. In the southern hemisphere, the radiant appears only around local midnight or so. Even here, this is a splendid stream of often bright, medium-speed meteors, a rewarding sight for all watchers. The peak has shown slight signs of variability in its maximum rates and the actual peak timing, so the best activity may occur a little before or, more likely, after, the suggested time above, perhaps up to 15h-16h UT. This means North American to Far Eastern sites are most likely to see the best from the 1999 Geminids. Some mass-sorting within the stream means the fainter telescopic meteors should be most abundant almost 1deg of solar longitude ahead of the visual maximum, with telescopic results indicating these meteors radiate from an elongated region, perhaps with three sub-centers. Further results on this topic would be useful, but all methods can be employed to observe the shower. Abbreviations ------------- alpha, delta: Coordinates for a shower's radiant position, usually at maximum. alpha is right ascension, delta is declination. Radiants drift across the sky each day due to the Earth's own orbital motion around the Sun, and this must be allowed for using the details in Table 3 for nights away from the listed shower maxima. r: The population index, a term computed from each shower's meteor magnitude distribution. r = 2.0 - 2.5 is brighter than average, while r above 3.0 is fainter than average. lambda: Solar longitude, a precise measure of the Earth's position on its orbit which is not dependent on the vagaries of the calendar. All lambda are given for the equinox 2000.0. V: Atmospheric or apparent meteoric velocity given in km/s. Velocities range from about 11 km/s (very slow) to 72 km/s (very fast). 40 km/s is roughly medium speed. ZHR: Zenithal Hourly Rate, a calculated maximum number of meteors an ideal observer would see in perfectly clear skies with the shower radiant overhead. This figure is given in terms of meteors per hour. Where meteor activity persisted at a high level for less than an hour, or where observing circumstances were very poor, an estimated ZHR (EZHR) is used, which is less accurate than the normal ZHR. TFC and PFC: Suggested telescopic and small-camera photographic field centers respectively. beta is the observer's latitude ("<" means "south of" and ">" means "north of"). Pairs of telescopic fields must be observed, alternating about every half hour, so that the positions of radiants can be defined. The exact choice of TFC or PFC depends on the observer's location and the elevation of the radiant. Note that the TFCs are also useful centers to use for video camera fields as well. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 1. Lunar phases for 1999. New Moon First Quarter Full Moon Last Quarter January 02 January 09 January 17 January 24 January 31 February 08 February 16 February 23 March 02 March 10 March 17 March 24 March 31 April 09 April 16 April 22 April 30 May 08 May 15 May 22 May 30 June 07 June 13 June 20 June 28 July 06 July 13 July 20 July 28 August 04 August 11 August 19 August 26 September 02 September 09 September 17 September 25 October 02 October 09 October 17 October 24 October 31 November 08 November 16 November 23 November 29 December 07 December 16 December 22 December 29 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 2: Working list of visual meteor showers. Details in this Table were correct according to the best information available in June 1998. Contact the IMO's Visual Commission for more information. Maximum dates in parentheses indicate reference dates for the radiant, not true maxima. Some showers have ZHRs that vary from year to year. The most recent reliable figure is given here, except for possibly periodic showers that are noted as "var." = variable. Activity Maximum Radiant Shower Period Date lambda alpha delta [deg] [deg] [deg] Quadrantids Jan 01-Jan 05 Jan 03 283.16 230 +49 delta-Cancrids Jan 01-Jan 24 Jan 17 297 130 +20 alpha-Centaurids Jan 28-Feb 21 Feb 08 319.2 210 -59 delta-Leonids Feb 15-Mar 10 Feb 25 336 168 +16 gamma-Normids Feb 25-Mar 22 Mar 14 353 249 -51 Virginids Jan 25-Apr 15 (Mar 25)(004) 195 -04 Lyrids Apr 16-Apr 25 Apr 22 032.1 271 +34 pi-Puppids Apr 15-Apr 28 Apr 24 033.5 110 -45 eta-Aquarids Apr 19-May 28 May 06 045.5 338 -01 Sagittarids Apr 15-Jul 15 (May 20)(059) 247 -22 Pegasids Jul 07-Jul 13 Jul 10 107.5 340 +15 July Phoenicids Jul 10-Jul 16 Jul 13 111 032 -48 Pisces Austrinids Jul 15-Aug 10 Jul 28 125 341 -30 Southern delta-Aquarids Jul 12-Aug 19 Jul 28 125 339 -16 alpha-Capricornids Jul 03-Aug 15 Jul 30 127 307 -10 Southern iota-Aquarids Jul 25-Aug 15 Aug 04 132 334 -15 Northern delta-Aquarids Jul 15-Aug 25 Aug 09 136 335 -05 Perseids Jul 17-Aug 24 Aug 12 140.0 046 +58 kappa-Cygnids Aug 03-Aug 25 Aug 18 145 286 +59 Northern iota-Aquarids Aug 11-Aug 31 Aug 20 147 327 -06 alpha-Aurigids Aug 25-Sep 05 Sep 01 158.6 084 +42 delta-Aurigids Sep 05-Oct 10 Sep 09 166 060 +47 Piscids Sep 01-Sep 30 Sep 20 177 005 -01 Draconids Oct 06-Oct 10 Oct 09 195.4 262 +54 epsilon-Geminids Oct 14-Oct 27 Oct 18 205 102 +27 Orionids Oct 02-Nov 07 Oct 21 208 095 +16 Southern Taurids Oct 01-Nov 25 Nov 05 223 052 +13 Northern Taurids Oct 01-Nov 25 Nov 12 230 058 +22 Leonids Nov 14-Nov 21 Nov 17 235.16 153 +22 alpha-Monocerotids Nov 15-Nov 25 Nov 22 239.32 117 +01 chi-Orionids Nov 26-Dec 15 Dec 02 250 082 +23 Phoenicids Nov 28-Dec 09 Dec 06 254.25 018 -53 Puppid-Velids Dec 01-Dec 15 (Dec 07)(255) 123 -45 Monocerotids (Dec) Nov 27-Dec 17 Dec 09 257 100 +08 sigma-Hydrids Dec 03-Dec 15 Dec 12 260 127 +02 Geminids Dec 07-Dec 17 Dec 14 262 112 +33 Coma Berenicids Dec 12-Jan 23 Dec 20 268 175 +25 Ursids Dec 17-Dec 26 Dec 22 270.7 217 +76 IMO Shower v r ZHR Code [km/s] Quadrantids 41 2.1 120 QUA delta-Cancrids 28 3.0 4 DCA alpha-Centaurids 56 2.0 6 ACE delta-Leonids 23 3.0 2 DLE gamma-Normids 56 2.4 8 GNO Virginids 30 3.0 5 VIR Lyrids 49 2.9 15 LYR pi-Puppids 18 2.0 var. PPU eta-Aquarids 66 2.7 60 ETA Sagittarids 30 2.5 5 SAG Pegasids 70 3.0 3 JPE July Phoenicids 47 3.0 var. PHE Pisces Austrinids 35 3.2 5 PAU Southern delta-Aquarids 41 3.2 20 SDA alpha-Capricornids 23 2.5 4 CAP Southern iota-Aquarids 34 2.9 2 SIA Northern delta-Aquarids 42 3.4 4 NDA Perseids 59 2.6 140 PER kappa-Cygnids 25 3.0 3 KCG Northern iota-Aquarids 31 3.2 3 NIA alpha-Aurigids 66 2.5 10 AUR delta-Aurigids 64 3.0 6 DAU Piscids 26 3.0 3 SPI Draconids 20 2.6 var. GIA epsilon-Geminids 70 3.0 2 EGE Orionids 66 2.9 20 ORI Southern Taurids 27 2.3 5 STA Northern Taurids 29 2.3 5 NTA Leonids 71 2.5 100+ LEO alpha-Monocerotids 65 2.4 var. AMO chi-Orionids 28 3.0 3 XOR Phoenicids 18 2.8 var. PHO Puppid-Velids 40 2.9 10 PUP Monocerotids (Dec) 42 3.0 3 MON sigma-Hydrids 58 3.0 2 HYD Geminids 35 2.6 120 GEM Coma Berenicids 65 3.0 5 COM Ursids 33 3.0 10 URS --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 4. Working list of daytime radio meteor streams. The "Best Observed" columns give the approximate local mean times between which a four-element antenna at an elevation of 45deg receiving a signal from a 30-kW transmitter 1000 km away should record at least 85% of any suitably positioned radio-reflecting meteor trails for the appropriate latitudes. Note that this is often heavily dependent on the compass direction in which the antenna is pointing, however, and applies only to dates near the shower's maximum. Shower Activity Max lambda Radiant Best Observed Rate Date 2000.0 alp.del. 50 N 35 S Cap/Sagittarids Jan 13-Feb 04 Feb 01 312.5 299 -15 11h-14h 09h-14h medium chi-Capricornids Jan 29-Feb 28 Feb 13 324.7 315 -24 10h-13h 08h-15h low Piscids (Apr.) Apr 08-Apr 29 Apr 20 030.3 007 +7 07h-14h 08h-13h low delta-Piscids Apr 24-Apr 24 Apr 24 034.2 011 +12 07h-14h 08h-13h low epsilon-Arietids Apr 24-May 27 May 09 048.7 044 +21 08h-15h 10h-14h low Arietids (May) May 04-Jun 06 May 16 055.5 037 +18 08h-15h 09h-13h low o-Cetids May 05-Jun 02 May 20 059.3 028 -4 07h-13h 07h-13h medium Arietids May 22-Jul 02 Jun 07 076.7 044 +24 06h-14h 08h-12h high zeta-Perseids May 20-Jul 05 Jun 09 078.6 062 +23 07h-15h 09h-13h high beta-Taurids Jun 05-Jul 17 Jun 28 096.7 086 +19 08h-15h 09h-13h medium gamma-Leonids Aug 14-Sep 12 Aug 25 152.2 155 +20 08h-16h 10h-14h low Sextantids Sep 09-Oct 09 Sep 27 184.3 152 0 06h-12h 06h-13h medium --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Useful addresses ---------------- For more information on observing techniques, and when submitting results, please contact the appropriate IMO Commission Director: Fireball Data Center (FIDAC): A. Knoefel, Saarbruecker Strasse 8, D-40476 Duesseldorf, Germany. e-mail: fidac@imo.net Photographic Commission: M. de Lignie, Prins Hendrikplein 42, NL-2264 SN Leidschendam, The Netherlands. e-mail: photo@imo.net Radio Commission: Temporarily vacant. e-mail: radio@imo.net Telescopic Commission: M. Currie, 25 Collett Way, Grove, Wantage, Oxon. OX12 0NT, UK. e-mail: tele@imo.net Visual Commission: R. Arlt, Friedenstrasse 5, D-14109 Potsdam, Germany. email: visual@imo.net or contact IMO's Homepage on the World-Wide-Web: http://www.imo.net/ For further details on IMO membership, please write to: Ina Rendtel, IMO Treasurer, Mehlbeerenweg 5, D-14469 Potsdam, Germany. e-mail: treasurer@imo.net Please try to enclose return postage when writing to any IMO officials, either in the form of stamps (same country only) or as an International Reply Coupon (I.R.C. - available from main postal outlets). Thank you! Date: 02 Jul 1998 19:15:00 +0000 From: Andre Knoefel Subject: IMO Meteor Shower Calendar 1999 (Appendix) Due to a mistake, Table 3 was lost... Sorry... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 3: Radiant positions during the year in alpha and delta. COM DCA Jan 0 186 +20 112 +22 QUA Jan 5 190 +18 116 +22 231 +49 Jan 10 194 +17 121 +21 Jan 20 202 +13 130 +19 ACE VIR Jan 30 200 -57 157 +16 DLE Feb 10 214 -60 165 +10 155 +20 GNO Feb 20 225 -63 172 +6 164 +18 225 -53 Feb 28 178 +3 171 +15 234 -52 Mar 10 186 0 180 +12 245 -51 Mar 20 192 -3 256 -50 Mar 30 198 -5 Apr 10 SAG LYR PPU 203 -7 Apr 15 224 -17 263 +34 106 -44 ETA 205 -8 Apr 20 227 -18 269 +34 109 -45 323 -7 Apr 25 230 -19 274 +34 111 -45 328 -5 Apr 30 233 -19 332 -4 May 5 236 -20 337 -2 May 10 240 -21 341 0 May 20 247 -22 350 +5 May 30 256 -23 Jun 10 265 -23 Jun 15 270 -23 Jun 20 275 -23 Jun 25 280 -23 Jun 30 284 -23 CAP JPE Jul 5 289 -22 285 -16 SDA 338 +14 Jul 10 293 -22 PHE 289 -15 325 -19 NDA 341 +15 PER PAU Jul 15 298 -21 032 -48 294 -14 329 -19 316 -10 012 +51 330 -34 Jul 20 299 -12 333 -18 319 -9 SIA 018 +52 334 -33 Jul 25 303 -11 337 -17 323 -9 322 -17 023 +54 338 -31 Jul 30 KCG 308 -10 340 -16 327 -8 328 -16 029 +55 343 -29 Aug 5 283 +58 NIA 313 -8 345 -14 332 -6 334 -15 037 +57 348 -27 Aug 10 284 +58 317 -7 318 -6 349 -13 335 -5 339 -14 043 +58 352 -26 Aug 15 285 +59 322 -7 352 -12 339 -4 345 -13 050 +59 Aug 20 286 +59 327 -6 AUR 356 -11 343 -3 057 +59 Aug 25 288 +60 332 -5 076 +42 347 -2 065 +60 Aug 30 289 +60 337 -5 082 +42 DAU Sep 5 088 +42 055 +46 SPI Sep 10 060 +47 357 -5 Sep 15 066 +48 001 -3 Sep 20 071 +48 005 -1 Sep 25 NTA STA 077 +49 009 0 Sep 30 021 +11 023 +5 ORI 083 +49 013 +2 Oct 5 025 +12 027 +7 085 +14 089 +49 GIA Oct 10 029 +14 031 +8 088 +15 095 +49 262 +54 Oct 15 034 +16 035 +9 091 +15 EGE Oct 20 038 +17 039 +11 094 +16 099 +27 Oct 25 043 +18 043 +12 098 +16 104 +27 Oct 30 047 +20 047 +13 101 +16 109 +27 Nov 5 053 +21 052 +14 105 +17 Nov 10 058 +22 056 +15 LEO AMO Nov 15 062 +23 060 +16 150 +23 113 -5 Nov 20 067 +24 064 +16 XOR 153 +21 117 -6 Nov 25 072 +24 069 +17 075 +23 121 -7 MON PUP PHO Nov 30 080 +23 HYD 091 +8 120 -45 014 -52 Dec 5 COM GEM 085 +23 122 +3 096 +8 122 -45 018 -53 Dec 10 169 +27 108 +33 090 +23 126 +2 100 +8 125 -45 022 -53 Dec 15 173 +26 113 +33 094 +23 130 +1 URS 104 +8 128 -45 Dec 20 177 +24 118 +32 217 +75 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 3 Jul 1998 09:56:39 +0200 (MET DST) From: Arkadiusz Olech Subject: Alpha Cygnids preprint Dear Colleagues, We submitted our manuscript "Alpha Cygnids - a possible July minor meteor shower" to the Astronomy & Astrophysics, and the preprint is available from the following URL: http://xxx.lanl.gov/abs/astro-ph/9807017 Best regards, Arkadiusz Olech olech@sirius.astrouw.edu.pl Date: Wed, 8 Jul 1998 05:31:49 -0400 From: Rainer Arlt <100114.1361@compuserve.com> Subject: IMO Circular: June Bootids 1998 [The following text is in the "ISO-8859-1" character set] [Your display is set for the "US-ASCII" character set] [Some characters may be displayed incorrectly] ------------------------------------- I M O S h o w e r C i r c u l a r ------------------------------------- JUNE BOOTIDS 1998 The first records of this meteor shower with irregular occurrence are from 1916 when W.F. Denning and a few anonymous observers saw an outburst of meteors from a radiant in Draco. Since then activity was very low except for possible significant events in 1921 and 1927. Because of the uncertain radaint position, the shower is often referred to as the June Draconids or iota-Draconids. An outburst of activity similar to the 1916 event was observed by amateurs from all over the world in the night of June 26-27 (western longitudes) and June 27-28 (eastern longitudes), 1998. Just as in the comments of Denning, the activity is reported to be of fairly constant behaviour, in stead of exhibiting a sharp peak. The radiant positions given by the observers scatter strongly. Most of the reports note a 'very diffuse radiant', just like Denning's comments about a large radiation area. According to the most reliable positions derived from the plots of experienced meteor observers, we adopted an average radiant position at alpha:230 deg, delta:+49 deg. The following observers contributed to the below ZHR graph, several occasional observers additionally reported their impressions of the event, giving e.g. radiant positions. CRIST Stefano Crivello (Italy) GORRO Roberto Gorelli (Italy) HAVRO Roberto Haver (Italy) HASTA Hashimoto Takema (Japan) IZUKI Izumi Kiyoshi (Japan) JENPE Peter Jenniskens (USA) KACJA Javor Kac (Slovenia) KERKH Kerr Kathryn (Australia) KNOAN Andre Knoefel (Germany) KREKE Kevin Kretsch (Ireland) NOSKU Kunio Nose (Japan) (video observation) OSAKA Osada Kazuhiro (Japan) RASLI Lina Rashkova (Bulgaria) RENJU Jurgen Rendtel (Germany) SATKO Koetsu Sato (Japan) STOEN Enrico Stomeo (Italy) TAYMA Mark Taylor (USA) TRIJO Josep M. Trigo (Spain) VELVA Valentin Velkov (Bulgaria) Additionally: P. Brown (radar), G. Carstairs, B. Ewen-Smith, D. Girling, V. Grigore, W.K. Hocking (radar), H.G. Konig, A. Marsh, A. Negoescu, D. Penn, L.R. Sobkoviak, P. Suetterlin, K. Suzuki (radio), B. Vanderwark, R. Vodicka ---------------------------------- Date UT Sollon #Obs ZHR +- ---------------------------------- 06/26 2310 95.16 2 16 +-10 06/27 0730 95.464 1 11 +- 3 06/27 1020 95.603 1 90 +-20 06/27 1150 95.662 1 85 +-17 06/27 1930 95.983 3 86 +-68 06/27 2010 95.993 6 62 +-51 06/27 2040 96.014 6 56 +-32 06/27 2120 96.036 8 59 +-32 06/27 2150 96.056 14 46 +-23 06/27 2210 96.072 11 44 +-20 06/27 2240 96.093 14 55 +-24 06/27 2320 96.122 14 48 +-28 06/28 0000 96.144 14 45 +-25 06/28 0040 96.167 10 47 +-25 06/28 0100 96.187 6 35 +-14 06/28 0120 96.199 2 21 +- 4 06/28 1220 96.64 1 0 (video) 06/29 1100 97.53 6 2 +- 2 06/29 2100 97.93 1 0 ---------------------------------- The ZHR is calculated with an average radiant position at alpha:230 deg, delta:+49 deg and a population index of r:2.0. The activity profile has no signs of a sharp peak. Highest ZHRs were observed between 1000 and 2000 UT on June 27, from Australia, Japan and Bulgaria (solar longitude 95.6 degres to 96.0 degrees; eq. 2000.0). The broad activity profile was also noted by Denning in 1916. Individual radiant positions are given below: Plotted meteors: ---------------- GORRO 240 +50 (15deg diameter) HAVRO 224 +50 HASTA 229 +50 OSAKA 221 +51 STOEN 220 +59 (diffuse) Bulg. 231 +44 (VELVA, RASLI, two centers) 234 +48 Radar observation: ------------------ Brown & Hocking 228 +54 (both +-3 deg, quite diffuse) Counted meteors: ---------------- Australia (G. Carstairs, D. Girling, A. Marsh, R. Vodicka) 218 +53 (after zenithal-attraction corr.) CRIST 234 +51 (diffuse) EWEBE 225 +40 (Bev Ewen-Smith) GRIVA 224 +49 KACJA 225 +45 KREKE 255 +55 TAYMA 240 +46 Radiants observed by Denning in 1916 ------------------------------------ Denning 231 +54 (main) Denning 223 +41 (one of secondary) (from Mon. Not. Roy. Astron. Soc. 76, p. 740 and Nature 97, p. 388) NOTE that most of the radiant positions are not corrected for zenithal attraction which can amount to everal degrees according to the extremely low geocentric velocity of the meteoroid stream. ------------------------------------------ Rainer Arlt & Jurgen Rendtel, 1998 July 7. Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 14:42:31 +0100 From: Trevor Wren Subject: Open questions in meteor science? Hi, I would like to ask some questions about the current state of knowledge and find out which of the following questions are still undecided: 1. What are the probabilities and risks of major impacts from meteors? 2. What are the identified potential future threats? 3. Are there any organisations which have been set up to act and advise governments? 4. Are there any international government/military plans to detect and tackle threats? 5. What is the consensus on the effectiveness of planned measures given the understanding of the risks? Many thanks for your time, ***************************************************************************** Trevor Wren City-University Liaison, Newcastle City Council and University R706 Civic Centre, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, NE1 8PB Phone: 0044 (0)191 232 8520 x6158 Fax: 0044 (0)191 211 4962 e-mail:trevor.wren@ncl.ac.uk ***************************************************************************** Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 01:53:38 +0200 From: Korado Korlevic Subject: Re: Open questions in meteor science? Trevor Wren wrote: > > Hi, > > I would like to ask some questions about the current state of knowledge and > find out which of the following questions are still undecided: > > 1. What are the probabilities and risks of major impacts from meteors? > 2. What are the identified potential future threats? > 3. Are there any organisations which have been set up to act and advise > governments? > 4. Are there any international government/military plans to detect and > tackle threats? > 5. What is the consensus on the effectiveness of planned measures given the > understanding of the risks? ...... snip ....... Hi! http://www.brera.mi.astro.it/SGF/ MIRROR: http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/~marsden/SGF/ http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/terrace/fr77/ http://impact.arc.nasa.gov/index.html http://www.astro.hr/spaceguard/index.html http://abob.libs.uga.edu/bobk/cccmenu.html Ciao! Korado From molau@informatik.rwth-aachen.de Wed Jul 29 17:06:16 1998 Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 15:22:43 +0200 (CEST) From: Sirko Molau To: IMO-News mailing list Subject: observing the 1998 Leonids Hello folks, Rainer Arlt, Malcolm Currie and me have written an article for WGN titeled "Observing Hints for the 1998 Leonid Return". If you do not want to wait until the July issue is in your mailbox, check our website at http://www.imo.net/news/leohints.html Best wishes, Sirko ---------------------------------------- Sirko Molau -- Video Commission Director International Meteor Organization e-mail: video@imo.net WWW : http://www.imo.net/video ---------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 15:31:51 +0200 From: Masm Subject: Perseids 1998 You can see my observations of Perseids made in Mallorca Island (IMO code: 15.538).made by me 11-12/August. PER: 17 KCG:01 NIA:00 ESP:03 Limit magnitude: 5.27 Begin time: 21h.00m. UT End time: 23h.00m. UT 12-13 of August. PER:18 KCG:01 NIA:00 ESP:09 Limit magnitude:5.32 Begin:21h.22m. UT End:00h.10m. UT You can see more information and complet about Perseids on my web. Your regards ________________________________ ----Masm---- masm@mx2.redestb.es http://personal.redestb.es/masm/ ________________________________ Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1998 19:12:22 +0000 (GMT) From: "Victor R. Ruiz" Subject: Perseids 98 from Canary Islands Hello: Here are the record of one of our observers at the Agrupación Astronómica de Gran Canaria (AAGC). The atmospheric conditions were bad, with saharian dust and the moon. Date: 12/13 Aug 1998 Begin: 0135 (UT) End: 0150 0200 0245 Place: Lon: 15° 33' 33" O Lat: 27° 57' 30" H: ~1500 m. Observing site: La Calderilla IMO Code: 15569 Observer: Raquel Alvarez Franco IMO Code: Method: Count. Periods (UT) PER Esp Total Lm Teff F 0135-0150 4 2 6 4.6 0.23 1.0 0200-0235 7 4 11 0.55 1.0 0235-0245 2 2 4 0.15 1.0 TOTALS 13 8 21 4.6 0.93 1.0 _ Showers m -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 Total PER 0.57 0.5 2.5 2 6 1 1 13 Esp 0.87 1 1 2 3 1 8 PER: Perseids. Esp: Non perseids. Good nights... of good observing! --------------------------------------------- Víctor R. Ruiz rvr@idecnet.com Agrupación Astronómica de Gran Canaria Sociedad de Meteoros y Cometas de España Asociación de Variabilistas de España - AVE AA Gran Canaria http://aagc.dis.ulpgc.es info.astro http://www.astrored.org/infoastro --------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1998 18:31:16 +0300 From: Mohammad Odeh To: odehjas@writeme.com, IMO Subject: 1998 Perseids from Jordan Greetings Dear, An overview is given of the Jordanian observation of the 1998 Perseids meteor shower around its peak. The Jordanian Astronomical Society, organized an observation camping devoted to the 1998 perseids meteor shower. The camping was held in 11-14/August, in a site close to Al-Azraq Oasis which is located 150 Km east of Amman, the capital of Jordan. The Coordinates of the observing site are :- 37:06:45 E , 31:42:58 N , h=555 m . 27 members and guests participated in this camping, two of them are from the Royal Jordanian Geographic Center. All participants t