Nicolas Biver's Meteor Page

Last updated: 26 Nov.2003 UT

LEONIDS 2003, from Hawaii:

12.642-11-2003:ZHR=13+-13 (1 leonid seen)
13.606-11-2003:ZHR=21+-21 (1 leonid seen)
15.616-11-2003:ZHR=41+-24 (3 leonids seen)
17.608-11-2003:ZHR=16+- 6 (5 leonids seen)
18.608-11-2003:ZHR=26+-11 (16 leonids seen)
19.510-11-2003:ZHR=67+-12 (30 leonids seen)
19.599-11-2003:ZHR=62+-10 (35 leonids seen)
19.634-11-2003:ZHR=82+-14 (36 leonids seen)
ZHR plot 12-20 Nov. 2003

LEONIDS 2002, from Pico Veleta:

16.18-11-2002:ZHR=22+-10 (5 leonids seen)
17.21-11-2002:ZHR=18+- 6 (10 leonids, 12 seen in total)
18.15-11-2002:ZHR=21+- 5 (15 leonids, 16 seen in total)
19 nov. 2002 (between clouds/fog/...preliminary):
1:24 UT: ZHR= 330+-135 (6 leonids in 15min.)
3:40 UT: ZHR= 810+-151 (29 leonids in 15min.)
4:02 UT: ZHR=1568+-340 (21 leonids in 10min.)
4:27 UT: ZHR=1115+-394 (8 leonids in 10min.)
4:53 UT: ZHR= 854+-257 (11 leonids in 10min.)
5:22 UT: ZHR= 541+-140 (15 leonids in 10min.)
6:12 UT: ZHR= 434+-177 (15 leonids in 10min.)
20 nov. 2002: 5:52 UT: ZHR= 74+-33 (5 leonids in 20min.; cloudy before)

I usually do not go out to observe weak meteor showers, but I do see many meteors while observing comets (even through my telescope), and for major showers, I may spend some time counting them...

Fireballs

WHO TURNED ON HIS HIGH BEAM CAR HEADLIGHTS TOWARDS MY TELESCOPE TONIGHT!!?

... but nobody around..., hidding in the trees!

This 06 Feb. 2000 at 08:32 UT, from dillingham airfield, a very bright (mag. -11 +-2, rather -12) fireball disrupted my observations of comet C/1999 L3, lighting up the sky. I then saw (3-5sec. after) the end of the fireball, with 3-4 flashes around mag. -6 to -7, rather reddish at the eastern horizon, endding up in the trees.

Estimated (observed) path: R.A./dec = 11h40/-2° to 12h25/-4°

....................... or Az./elev.= 100°/+18° to 98°/+7° (roughly initially estimated to Azimuth = 95°, Elev.=15° to 5°... so that's plus or minus 3-4°, plus or minus less than 1min. for the time)

A few bright fireballs that I remember: one around mag. -10, during the HAS 1999 Oct. 10.3 UT (?) Star party, that illuminated the ground and I had just time to turn back 180° to see it had split into 3 green fireballs...

A bright mag. -7 Geminid (to the N-N-W) on December 14.6, 1999 UT

PERSEIDS

Perseids 2002

Counts converted in ZHRs 10-14 Aug. 2002

Perseids 2001

Counts converted in ZHRs 10-13 Aug. 2001

LEONIDS

Leonids 2002

preliminary reports from visual counts (in the cold (-7C), wind and snow)

Nov. 16: 4:00-4:10 UT -> 2 leonids (ZHR=27+-19)

Nov. 16: 4:33-4:48 UT -> 3 leonids (ZHR=18+-10)

Nov. 17: 4:04-4:10 UT-> 2 leonids between clouds (sky just clearing up)

Nov. 17: 4:10-4:40 UT -> 7 leonids (ZHR=19+- 7)

Nov. 17: 5:30-5:45 UT -> 3 leonids (ZHR=15+- 9)

Nov. 18: 0:10-0:40 UT -> 1 leonid (ZHR=44+-44) (Moon:NLM=4.5)

Nov. 18: 3:35-4:10 UT -> 5 leonids (ZHR=27+-12) (Moon:NLM=5.3)

Nov. 18: 4:25-4:55 UT -> 3 leonids (ZHR=15+- 8) (Moon:NLM=5.6)

Nov. 18: 5:15-5:45 UT -> 6 leonids (ZHR=14+- 6) (NLM=6.4)

Nov. 19:23:45-0:00 UT -> 1 leonid (ZHR= 243+-243) (NLM=4.5)

Nov. 19: 0:30-0:45 UT -> 2 leonids (ZHR= 425+-300) (NLM=4.0)

Nov. 19: 1:17-1:32 UT -> 6 leonids (ZHR= 330+-135) (NLM=4.5)

Nov. 19: 3:30-3:35 UT -> 5 leonids (ZHR= 804+-359) (NLM=4.5)

Nov. 19: 3:38-3:43 UT -> 8 leonids (ZHR= 628+-222) (NLM=4.5)

Nov. 19: 3:45-3:50 UT ->16 leonids (ZHR=1000+-250) (NLM=4.8)

Nov. 19: 3:54-3:59 UT ->12 leonids (ZHR=1272+-367) (NLM=4.0)

Nov. 19: 4:04-4:09 UT -> 9 leonids (ZHR=1864+-622) (NLM=3.0)

Nov. 19: 4:22-4:32 UT -> 8 leonids (ZHR=1115+-394) (NLM=2.7)

Nov. 19: 4:48-4:58 UT ->11 leonids (ZHR= 854+-257) (NLM=3.2)

Nov. 19: 5:16-5:21 UT -> 9 leonids (ZHR= 769+-256) (NLM=4.4)

Nov. 19: 5:22-5:27 UT -> 6 leonids (ZHR= 313+-128) (NLM=5.1)

Nov. 19: 6:05-6:10 UT -> 5 leonids (ZHR= 683+-305) (NLM=3.2)

Nov. 19: 6:15-6:20 UT -> 1 leonid (ZHR= 186+-186) (NLM=2.6)

Leonids 2000

Detailed counts 2000 Nov.17,18

The weather was really bad on Nov.18.2, but Leonids were sufficiently numerous and bright so that I could see a few percent (ZHR reached 300 to 500!)

Leonids 1999

Detailed counts 1999 Nov.16-19

Faint Leonid in Leo (21 min., 28mm F/2.8 17/11/1999 14:29 UT, Fuji 800

Five Leonids in One shot! [381 Ko]

The bright one was probably about mag -2, 4 others (nearly parallel) between 0 and 2 (17 min., 50mm F/2.0 18/11/1999 14:44 UT, Fuji 800 - Mauna-Kea)

Leonids 1998

Detailed counts 1998 Nov.16-18

16.7 Nov. 1998 UT: (Honolulu, N.E.Limit mag.=4.8, 50-40% obstructed sky)

15:03-15:18 UT: 6 Leonids (mag=3 to -4);

15:36-15:51 UT: 7 Leonids (mag=4 to -9): Double flash meteor of mag=-9 (approx., much brighter than the Moon this morning), with 1min. persistent train;

Given the observing conditions the ZHR may have been around 100!

17.5-17.7 Nov. 1998: More rain showers than meteor ones: ZHR (between clouds) may not have exceeded 100 this night. 2 pictures:

Leo to Castor and Pollux: 14:27.3-14:47.3 UT 50mm F/2.0 2 Leonids (mag. +1) (on the edges: upper middle and lower 2/3 to the right, nearly parallel to star trails)

Mag. -4 Leonid

in Orion (14:48.5-14:53.5 UT 50mm F/1.4 - Fuji Sensia 400). High res. [477 K]

Leonids 1997

Detailed counts 1997 Nov.16-17 [Francais]

[386 K] One Leonid! This is the (only) Leonid I was able to catch on that night from Nov. 16 to 17. This one was around mag. -1 at 13:14 UT, Nov. 17, caught on a 8 min. exposure. The enlargement will show the trails of the main stars of the rising Leo (Regulus at the top). It is not of good quality, since it was nearly full moon, hazy, and originally rather overexposed (but with a dark print).

GEMINIDS

Geminids 2000

14/12/2000: 19h43-58: 1 / 20h10-20: 1 / 20h36-56: 3 / 21h48-21h18: 2

Poigny: NLM 5.5 / 5.3 / 5.2 / 5.0

Geminids 1999

Detailed counts 1999 Dec. 14

14.37-14.61 Dec. 1999: Again a very nice display, maybe comparable to the peak of the Leonids this year: Meteors often came by groups of 2 to 4 within 10sec.: Around 12:50 UT two (mag=2) appeared simultaneously, parallel separated by 5degrees, around 10:15 UT 3 of mag. 0 to 1, appeared at the same time in different part of the sky, and a fireball of mag.-6 was seen around 13:30. 182 Geminids counted in 7x15min., ZHR peaked around 140.

[181 K] Geminid in Puppis.. (10 min., 50mm F/1.4 14/12/1999 11:04 UT, Fuji 800 - 1/4 frame)

[458 K] Geminid, Orion and Taurus (15 min., 28mm F/3.0 14/12/1999 12:29 UT, Fuji 800 - 2/3 frame)

[203 K] Geminid in Big Dipper... among star trails (21 min., 50mm F/2.8 14/12/1999 13:12 UT, Fuji 800 - 1/4 picture)

[333 K] Geminid (mag -2) close to north star.. (12 min., 28mm F/2.8 14/12/1999 13:51 UT, Fuji 800 - 1/4 picture)

Geminids 1998

Detailed counts 1998 Dec. 14

Dec.14.3-14.6: Nice display: ZHR peaked around 120, meteors coming by groups of 3-5 in 1-2min. True counts up to 100/h.

QUADRANTIDS

Quadrantids 2002

Counts converted in ZHRs Jan.2002 and Jan.2001
Quadrantids 2001

From Hale-Pohaku, Hawaii, NLM=6.7
3.542 Jan. 2001: 6 Quads/15min. -> ZHR= 72+-29
3.572 Jan. 2001: 15 Quads/15min. -> ZHR=129+-33
3.620 Jan. 2001: 11 Quads/15min. -> ZHR= 91+-28

Quadrantids 2000

4.61 Jan. 2000: 5+3 Quadrantids in 10+10min. from Mauna-Kea: ZHR=45+-16

Others

June Bootids 1998

On the night of June 27.4-27.6 UT, I was observing at dillingham under rather mostly cloudy skies [Half clear for an hour around 10 UT and only mostly clear after 13 UT]...

BUT, I did was surprised by the amount of bright meteors, coming from the same radiant (within 30 degrees of Polaris), seen often half through clouds. I only saw about 5-6 in total, but 3 to 4 of them were bright, (m= -1 to -3), rather slow, redish and seeming to explode in pieces for one of them, with persistent trains. This is confirmed in IAUC 6954.
I was thinking of trying to take trailed exposures to catch some, but the sky was really too cloudy!

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* observations in progress... * Nicolas Biver - 25 November 2003

Back to Nicolas Biver's Home Page	Send comments: mail_to_nicolas.biver@obspm.fr
* observations in progress... *	Nicolas Biver - 25 November 2003