(meteorobs) Ageing Eyes and Observed Meteor Rates ?

[Koen Miskotte]

I agree with Marco. I am observing meteors since 1978 and until about 2000 
it was not a problem to observe (and have a irregular life as a result from 
it). A night with only a few hours sleep and then just after the 
observations going to work was not a problem. But in recent years, I think I 
need longer time  to recover from an observing session. Especially when I 
have to work at day.  Mostly it takes two days before I'm recovered from the 
session. In the early day's I did meteor sessions of 4 or 5 hours before 
going to work, today it is 2 or 3 hours.
During expeditions and holidays, it's all much easier. You can then adjust 
your life to observe. Recently I was in Namibia and I noticed that the 
rhythm in the evening two hours of sleep, then observing and again 4-5 hours 
of sleep was easy to maintain. But I have to consider that when I returned 
home the first week I was very tired ....
Clear sky's!
Koen

Yellowing of the eye-lens could be an influence as well.

Becoming shortsighted can be countered for by glasses and need not have
influence at all; but not if it gets very bad of course.

One problem is that with more years of active observing, your experience 
will
grow, yielding you more meteors, potentially upsetting the statistics.

The main problem with getting older I have experienced, is not the quality 
of
the eyes, but the fact that you tire more easily and cannot take long 
observing
sessions that well anymore.

- Marco


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Dr Marco (asteroid 183294) Langbroek
Dutch Meteor Society (DMS)

e-mail: dms at marcolangbroek.nl
http://www.dmsweb.org
http://www.marcolangbroek.nl
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