From: Marco Langbroek, Koen MIskotte, Jos Nijland, Robert Haas, Dutch Meteor Society
Date: Nov. 17, 1997

We have tried a campaign on the night of 16/17, both visual and
multistation photographic, in the Dutch/German border area. Though not the
entire night, we have been able to observe. Below our impressions

 Team 1 (Koen Miskotte, Carl Johannink and Jos Nijland) was at Lattrop
public observatory in the easternmost part of the Netherlands and could
observe for two hours from about 0:15 to 2:30 UT

Team 2 (Robert Haas and me (=Marco Langbroek)) made a 'grand tour' through
norteast Netherlands and parts of Germany, tried to find a location without
haze and stratus. We found it near Meppen, only just over the Dutch/German
border (but it later turned out that it had been better if we had gone some
30-50 km more to the east). We observed from 1:45 to 2:45 UT. Then, a
cirrus front coming from the west that also hit Lattrop culled us off.

Both stations had Lm near ~ 5.4-5.7. Rates were clearly enhanced, but not
as much as we had hoped for. We don't have our data available yet, but our
impression is, trying to account a little bit for the moonlight, that rates
were similar to the 1995 return, i.e. ZHR around 30-40 or so. What struck
us was that in comparison with both 1995 and 1996 there weren't that much
real bright meteors. The Lattrop team however has seen one -6, with 3
minutes persisting train. I saw a -2 as my brightest during my session, and
a -4 tru cirrus in twilight when back at Lattrop. To be clear: the meteors
were certainly brighter than the normal annual display, but not to the
extend as in 1995 and 1996.

So, a little bit ambiguous. We are glad to have been able to do some
observing, especially given that last days in the forecast it didn't look
like we would be able to do so. And yes, there was a fine enhancement. But
from the perspective of rates and brightness, it could have been better.

That's it for the moment. We are now back again at Casper's place to look
at the forecasts for coming night and the last satellite pictures.
Probably, we will be active from the eastern part of our country again,
which when we left had good clear skies (the cirrus had dissolved). Problem
is that the electricity generator of team 1 has broke down, so we have to
position them somewhere where they have an electric socket available (such
as at a public observatory).