Leonids '98: Latest news on the Expedition!
Sino-Dutch Leonid Expedition 1998
0. Observational Results!
Abstract
Casper ter Kuile
This page presents the
latest information regarding the
Leonids 1998 expedition of the
Dutch Meteor Society to China
Updated: November 5, 1998
Breaking news on the Sino-Dutch Leonid-Expedition 1998
- The Sino-Dutch Leonid Expedition 1998 is now ready for take off! Latest, mostly personal, arrangements are carried out now.
- We just received the message our cargo (20 boxes and 3 power generators totalling 1000 kilograms) has passed Chinese customs quick and smoothly.
- The expedition is on full speed now, everything seems to be running fine!
- Latest information regarding the expedition has been send to all expedition members
- Contacts with the press are frequent now and are being handeld primarely at DMS headquarters Leiden by Hans Betlem
- Scheduled departure of the expedition is on Saturday November 7 at 16:35 local time from Amsterdam international airport (Schiphol)
- Very latest update of the DMS webpages is scheduled on saturdaymorning November 7 at 09:00 local time.
- We will try to inform you all directly after storm ending. Data of team Delingha will be send first to Xinglong as this team has better access to the internet. Team Xinglong will provide combined results and make them available through mailinglist such as "meteorobs" and "imo-news"
Introduction to the Sino-Dutch Leonid-expedition 1998 Between november 10 and november 22 the Dutch Meteor Society will organise an expedition to China to observe the 1998 Leonid return. As a possible storm peak is expected to occur over Asia a choice between various countries had to be made. Based on astronomical and meteorological conditions and political situations in an unstable part of the world it was decided to establish a co-operation with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and to organise the expedition in the Peoples Republic of China.
Four photographic and video stations will operate from two locations near Xinglong observatory and from two locations near to Delingha radio observatory. During the nights 16/17, 17/18 and 18/19 november observations will be done by 16 Dutch observers in co-operation with Chinese projects and possible other foreign visitors.
Also joining Xinglong station is Mr. Pavel Spurny of the well-known Czech Ondrejov observatory. Mr. Spurny is in charge of the combined Video - Photographic Zeiss Distagon All-Sky experiment. One All-Sky camera is located at Xinglong base station while the other one is at the remote station. This enables us to derive the distribution of bright fireballs along the entire sky. Trajectories of these fireballs low on the horizon can be computed too.
The video-system of Mr. Spurny will be part of the multistation video-project of which the other video-system (Klaas Jobse) is located at the remote station.
Members of the Sino-Dutch Leonid-expedition 1998 Observers of team Delingha:
Casper ter Kuile Photography & Video Carl Johannink Visual & Video Robert Haas Photography Koen Miskotte Visual Marco Langbroek Visual Jos Nijland Visual Marc de Lignie Video & Visual Arnold Tukkers Visual Romke Schievink Video & Visual Observers of team Xinglong:
Hans Betlem Photography Annemarie Zoete Visual Michelle van Rossum Visual Klaas Jobse Video & Visual Jaap van 't Leven Photography Olga van Mil Visual Peter Bus Radio & Visual Pavel Spurny Video & All-Sky
Equipment of the Sino-Dutch Leonid-expedition 1998
Equipment at Delingha
base station:Equipment at Delingha
remote station:11 x Canon T-70 + 50 mm
5 x Canon T-70 + 85 mm
Video 1.2/55 mm
Video All-Sky (timer)11 x Canon T-70 + 50 mm
4 x Canon T-70 + 85 mm
Video 85 mm
Power generator
Equipment at Xinglong
base station:Equipment at Xinglong
remote station:14 x Canon T-70 + 50 mm
Video All-Sky (timer)
Zeiss spectrograph
Power generator12 x Canon T-70 + 50 mm
Radio set-up
Power generator
Equipment Pavel Spurny (Ondrejov)
at Xinglong station:Zeiss F-Distagon 3.5/30 HFT (base station)
Zeiss F-Distagon 3.5/30 HFT (remote station)
Image intensifier: Russian Gen II - Dedal 41
Objectives: Jupiter-9 2/85 and Arsat H, 1.4/50
Panasonic S-VHS movie camera NV-S88
Timetable of the Sino-Dutch Leonid-expedition 1998 Program for all expedition members:
Day Date activity 1 Saturday november 7 Departure at 16:35 local time by KLM flight no. KL 897 2 Sunday november 8 Arrival at 08:55 local time at Beijing international airport, transfer to BAO, meeting with counterpart 3 Monday november 9 Site-seeing Beijing: Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Lama Temple, Beijing Opera 4 Tuesday november 10 Site-seeing: Great Wall, Ming Tombs, banquet with Chinese counterpart Program for team Xinglong only:
Day Date activity 5 Wednesday november 11 Site-seeing Beijing 6 Thursday november 12 Travel by BAO-bus to Xinglong observatory, passing the great wall 7 Friday november 13 Acclimatization and meetings with our counterpart 8 Saturday november 14 Site-seeing and visit of the remote station 9 Sunday november 15 Acclimatization and consultation with our counterpart, technical preparations 10 Monday november 16 Preparations for and first observations 11 Tuesday november 17 Observing The Leonids!!! 12 Wednesday november 18 Informing inhabitants of planet earth, champaign! 13 Thursday november 19 Third observing night, preparing for return to Beijing 14 Friday november 20 Travel by BAO-bus to Beijing Program for team Delingha only:
Day Date activity 5 Wednesday november 11 Flight to Xining 6 Thursday november 12 Travel by PMO-truck to Delingha radio observatory 7 Friday november 13 Acclimatization and meetings with our counterpart 8 Saturday november 14 Site-seeing and visit of the remote station 9 Sunday november 15 Acclimatization and consultation with our counterpart, technical preparations 10 Monday november 16 Preparations for and first observations 11 Tuesday november 17 Observing The Leonids!!! 12 Wednesday november 18 Informing inhabitants of planet earth, champaign! 13 Thursday november 19 Third observing night, preparing for return to Beijing 14 Friday november 20 Travel by PMO-truck to Xining Program for all expedition members:
Day Date activity 15 Saturday november 21 Flight to Beijing, teams Xinglong and Delingha join, congratulations, banquet 16 Sunday november 22 Flight KL 898 departure from Beijing at 11:20 local time, arrival Amsterdam international airport at 14:45 local time
Acknowledgements to the sponsors of the
Sino-Dutch Leonid-expedition 1998
- The Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences (KNAW) (funding). Dr. Marc de Lignie is our contact to KNAW.
- The SETI-institute which is part of NASA/AMES Research Center (funding). Dr. Peter Jenniskens and Hans Betlem are our contact to SETI - NASA/AMES.
- The Euregio Public Observatory "Twente/Lattrop" (EPS/VST) (funding). Mr. Ben Kokkeler (chairman of the observatory) is our contact to EPS/VST.
- The Kerkhoven Bosschafonds (KBF) (funding). Mr. Hans Betlem is our contact to KBF/
- Kodak Nederland BV (Kodak Tri-X 400 professional film). Mr. Robert Haas is our contact to Kodak.
- Canon Nederland BV (Canon T-3 adapters). Mr. Robert Haas is our contact to Canon.
- 3M Nederland BV (First-Aid-kits). Mr. Arnold Tukkers (EPS) is our contact to 3M.
- U-Freight BV (Stickers). Mr. Hans Betlem is our contact to U-Freight.
The members of the Sino-Dutch Leonid Expedition 1998 would like to express their depeest gratitude to all our sponsors because without them the expedition in its present form would not be possible. Thank you all!
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This page was last modified on November 6, 1998 by Casper ter Kuile , Carl Johannink and Hans Betlem |