(meteorobs) RE: Origin of ZHR is elusive

[drobnock]

Hi
Rich's research would indicate the origin of the term "zenith hourly
rate" may have been introduced into use some time between 1920 (work of
Opik) and 1955 ( the publication of Sidgewick's work).

Although the exact origin is still not certain,  I am offering the
following bit of information -- not that it is in the correct direction
to finding an answer -- but using combination of phrases and available
search engines the following may be useful.

A search of digitized books under Google Books  -- currently drew a
blank. A search of "Making of America"  -- popular journals and odd
books -- including  Scientific American Mag up to 1920 also a blank.

A search of the phrase meteors "zenith hourly rate" brought up the
following site
under the publisher Springerlink  --Earth, Moon, and Planets (January
1995) --

http://www.springerlink.com/content/k624720227448684/

A pay for view site but the book should be available at a larger
university library

Article:
Activity of the Leonid meteor shower in the years 1944–1953
by J. Zvolánková,  Astronomical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences,
842 28 Bratislava, Slovakia

The bit of the abstract refers to using visual data from the Skalnaté
Pleso Observatory from 1944 to 1953.

There is an early reference to a -- Crommelin, A.C.D.: 1933, Journal of
the British Astronomical Association 43, 99

As Richard stated,  it is possible the formula for ZHR may have been the
product of  an unknow or a group working together.

George John Drobnock