Lyrids 1995: Visual Observations
Marco Langbroek, Voorschoten


Members of the Dutch Meteor Society were prepared to watch the Lyrids meteorshower from several locations in the Netherlands simultaniously. Unfortunately weather situations prevented us observing from our favourite location Biddinghuizen. At De Bilt clouds faded away after 22:30 UT. DMS observer Koen Miskotte unfortunately did not wake up due to an incorrectly working alarmclock. DMS observer Marco Langbroek watched the Lyrids from Voorschoten (near Leiden) at position:
Longitude:
Latitude:
Observing conditions were moderate: hazy skies with interfering city lights resulted in a limiting magnitude of 6.1. Moonlight started interfering after 01:40 UT. 

Observing method: recorder.

Marco observed 40 meteors from 00:00 UT to 02:30 UT 
which is 2.43 hours effectively.  

These 40 meteors consisted of:
-  22 lyrids,
-  16 sporadics,
-   1 u virginid,
-   1 a bootid.

Quantified results:

time          sunlong  lyr  zhr  spor  u-vir a-boo lim 
interval       1950          +-

00:00 - 01:00  31.775   8  14+-5  7     0     0    6.1
01:00 - 02:00  31.815   8  12+-3  5     0     1    6.1
02:00 - 02:30  31.846   6  19+-8  4     1     0    6.0

Average zhr = 15+-3  (00:00 - 02:30 UT)
This is consistent with near annual peak acitivity as predicted by 
Dr. Peter Jenniskens in his article in A&A 287 (1994) 990-1013

Calculations are for: chi=2.7  gamma=1.4  Cp=1.2

Magnitude distributions:

         -1  0  1  2  3  4  5 

Lyr       1  1  4  5  6  5  0     (2 persistent trains)
Spo             1  4  2  8  1
u-Vir                 1
a-Boo     1

Remarkable meteors:

-  yellow -1 lyrid at 02:06:23 UT

-  point meteor -1 (a-Boo) at 01:07:10 UT 
   position (2000.0):  RA: 14h02m,  DC: +23 deg.
   certainly no flash satellite but genuine meteor

Marco remarks: "an enjoyable observational night, fine meteors, 
                shower pretty active as to be expected when 
                observing near the annual maximum"


Back to
DMS homepage		 back.gif This page was last modified on April 23, 1995 by
Casper ter Kuile and Marco Langbroek