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(meteorobs) Gem 13/14 data: WOW!!!!



 Hello everybody!

Below my observational data of the night 13/14 December 1996 (20-6 UT).

This night has broken all records!! In 9.00h effective, I observed:

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                 1257 METEORS !!!!!
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This is a personal record for me as far as numbers on one single night are
concerned, and it probably is an all-time record within the Dutch Meteor
Society as well as far as we know! Actually, 1996 had not been such a good
year for me so far and in this single night I.....more than DOUBLED my 1996
year total of meteors! Holy smoke what a night! Keep those Perseids and
other dubious streams: I love the Geminids...! What surprises me is the
strenght of this particular display: this was a far better show than in 1991
and 1994, though those years were partly hampered by moonlight I admitt. It
is not so much in observing conditions I think: in 1991 I observed under
dark skies as well. But this year we were closer to maximum, and that surely
seems to be relevant with this stream.

Below a table with rate data. Magnitude data will follow later, it's a hell
of a job to make a distribution of 1257 meteors...

Sky conditions were quite good, though we have experienced better nights at
Biddinghuizen in the past. Dark sky with nice milky way visible onto Sirius,
Lm around ~6.6 with occasionally a surge to +6.8 or a low to +6.4. (early
part of the night).

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Observer: Marco Langbroek   (Lanma)
Location: Biddinghuizen, the Netherlands, 52d 29' N, 5d 41' E

Night: December 13-14 1996

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 UT             Teff    Lm      Gem     Spo     Mon     sHy     xOri
 
20:00 - 21:00   0.88    6.7     48      20      1       0       2
21:00 - 21:57   0.95    6.6     100     22      4       0       1
22:04 - 22:57   0.85    6.5     103     27      6       0       1
23:00 - 23:56   0.88    6.4     121     25      7       5       0
00:00 - 00:59   0.95    6.6     141     24      4       2       0
00:59 - 02:02   0.93    6.6     112     30      7       1       0
02:02 - 03:04   0.95    6.6     106     30      2       6       1
03:04 - 04:03   0.90    6.6     71      32      3       3       0
04:03 - 05:01   0.83    6.7     84      25      3       3       0
05:01 - 05:40   0.55    6.6     35      10      2       4       0
05:40 - 06:00   0.32    6.3     13      8       1       1       0

 TOTAL:         9.00h   ~6.6    934     253     40      25      5

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Last night (14-15) was clouded. That was actually not a problem to us
because we were very tired after this formidable night.

Best wishes to all of you!


-Marco Langbroek
DMS team Delphinus, Biddinghuizen meteor observatory
The Netherlands

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