British Astronomical Association
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British Astronomical Association
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Meteor Section |
Currently the most prolific of the regular annual showers, the Geminids came as some consolation for UK-based observers following the cloud-bound Leonids. Sleet and snow gave way to clear, if very cold, conditions across much of England on the key nights close to the Geminid maximum. Good coverage was obtained on Dec 12-13, 13-14 (best rates!) and 14-15. Peak activity was badly-placed for the UK, being expected around mid-day on Dec 14. In the hours between midnight and dawn on Dec 13-14, however, good activity was recorded by many observers, with ZHR approaching 90-100. Few bright Geminids were reported - these usually come closely after the peak, as we found in 1996.
Activity was still respectable on Dec 14-15, with ZHR in the 70s.
Coverage was obtained on several nights between December 6-7 and 15-16, and a more detailed report will appear in the Meteor Section Newsletter in the autumn. The table below highlights preliminary analysis of observations close to maximum:
|
1999 Dec |
Sol. long. |
Teff |
LM |
F |
NGem |
Alt. Radiant (Deg) |
ZHR |
|
12d22h13m |
260.45 |
2 |
5.4 |
1.09 |
16 |
44.3 |
33.3+8.3 |
|
12d23h25m |
260.5 |
3 |
5.7 |
- |
29 |
55.3 |
24.0+4.5 |
|
13d00h32m |
260.55 |
3 |
5.7 |
- |
30 |
64.4 |
22.6+4.1 |
|
13d01h22m |
260.59 |
1 |
5.2 |
- |
15 |
69.3 |
51.1+13.2 |
|
13d02h34m |
260.64 |
1.5 |
5.25 |
- |
16 |
70.4 |
34.5+8.6 |
|
13d03h27m |
260.68 |
3 |
5.83 |
- |
45 |
66.1 |
29.8+4.4 |
|
13d04h23m |
260.72 |
2.67 |
5.83 |
- |
42 |
58.9 |
33.4+5.2 |
|
13d05h30m |
260.76 |
1 |
6 |
- |
14 |
49 |
29.0+7.8 |
|
14d00h30m |
261.57 |
1 |
5.5 |
- |
37 |
64.6 |
99.9+16.4 |
|
14d01h32m |
261.61 |
5.25 |
5.47 |
1.1 |
169 |
70.2 |
94.3+7.3 |
|
14d02h28m |
261.65 |
4.1 |
5.6 |
1.05 |
131 |
71.4 |
79.0+6.9 |
|
14d03h36m |
261.7 |
5 |
5.46 |
1.05 |
164 |
63.9 |
97.0+7.6 |
|
14d04h34m |
261.74 |
5.47 |
5.52 |
1.04 |
147 |
56.4 |
80.4+6.6 |
|
14d05h53m |
261.8 |
2 |
5 |
- |
34 |
44.7 |
92.1+15.8 |
|
14d22h28m |
262.5 |
2 |
5.25 |
- |
37 |
47.9 |
76.0+12.5 |
|
14d23h25m |
262.54 |
1 |
5.5 |
- |
25 |
56.7 |
73.0+14.6 |
|
15d00h56m |
262.6 |
1 |
6 |
- |
21 |
67 |
35.6+7.7 |
|
15d01h45m |
262.64 |
1 |
5.5 |
- |
16 |
68.6 |
41.9+10.4 |
|
15d02h10m |
262.66 |
1 |
6.4 |
1.2 |
33 |
70.9 |
45.8+8.0 |
|
15d03d11m |
262.7 |
2 |
5.85 |
1.16 |
39 |
66.2 |
44.1+7.1 |
Page last updated:
31/08/2005