From Casper ter Kuile, Dutch Meteor Society Date: Thu, 18 Nov 1999 02:27:23 +0100 Team "Delingha"of the Dutch Meteor Society reports... Location Valencia / Alicante - Spain. Time: 01:25 UT Rates are sharply increasing now!!! About 15 minutes ago our visual observers reported about 5 Leonids per minute! ---- From: Robert Haas and Jos Nijland, Dutch Meteor Society Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 18:48:32 +0100 After a short rest, here a message from the DMS team on location on a site near Valencia Spain (Dos Aguas). After driving many hours from our location in clouded France, we arrived yesterday, the 17th november1999, at 20.00 UT under the clear sky's of Spain. After setting up our equipment we started our observations at 22.45 UT. The firtst two hours Leonid activity was low, but after 00.30 UT reates increased very quickly. Around 02.00 UT raetes were so high that it was impossible to estimate magnitudes. This meanes that we saw average one meteor each second with outburst to five meteors each second! The average magnitude of the meteors was from +3 to +5, but also some fireballs were obeserved. Our image intensifiers recorded hundreds of Leonids. As soon as we can reastablish a good internetcontact, we will post these pictures at our homepages (after 20th november). Sorry for these inconvenience. ----------- From: Marco Langbroek, Dutch Meteor Society Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 17:29:33 +0100 (CET) I just returned from our Leonid campaign. We had to travel 600 km south by car, into Spain, from our initial location in SW France, on the day of November 17, because of the weather. At the small village of Xalos, some 80 km south of Valencia, we observed the most impressive meteor display I ever experienced, under a completely clear sky. Near 2:00-2:30 UT (Nov. 18), Leonids appeared at an average rate of some 30-40 per minute, equivalent (very roughly) to a ZHR near 4000. Due to the Poisson-distribution, we experienced small burst in which sometimes 5-6 Leonids appeared at one instance, shooting away in all directions. The sight was astonishing, and we actually had a hard time keeping up with counting; this really was at the limit of our grasping abilities. I suggest this certainly may be called a 'storm'. It was amazing, meteors appeared everywhere in the sky, and each few minutes I had to take a short break in counting to 'regain my breath' a little bit. Marvelous! One thing that struck, by the way, was the complete lack of bright Leonids, especially given the high activity level. We did not see any Leonids brighter than -3 to -4, and those only in minute quantities. It reminds me of the alfa Monocerotids where a similar phenomenon was apparent (see our paper in ApJ 479 (1997), 441-447). We have operated a multi-station photographic and video network this night, with a second station (stations equiped with automated camera platforms with 25 photo-cameras at each site, as well as image-intensified video at each site) some 80 km North of us. We expect to have obtained a large number (>200?) of high accuracy orbits of Leonid meteoroids. More results will follow later, after I have had time to carefully assemble the data from my tapes. At the end of the night, we all were exhausted, physically, and mentally. I personally certainly did experience some effect on my consciousness and functioning; during the peak, my recorder suddenly jammed, causing an unrestrained reaction of panic with me. It took me several minutes just to have my brain realize that it was just a matter of a full tape that had to be replaced. Under these conditions, you just can't think straight anymore, it seems.... These impressive phenomenon really get on you! Just as a historic note, and to point out the uniqueness of what happened this night of 17-18 November 1999; rates at at least a similar level or better have only been observed with certainty 3 times earlier this century (Draconids of 1933 and 1946, and Leonids of 1966). The only thing that in my opinion can match this meteor storm in impressiveness, is a solar eclipse. Forget about Hale-Bopp etc.; for me, THIS was THE celestial event of the nineties!