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Re: (meteorobs) Re: shower rates
In a message dated 97-02-23 22:53:00 EST, you write:
<< Here are my expected typical observed meteor rates for the major showers
that average observers can see under various conditions. I have oriented
these to central U.S. latitudes. Atypical shower returns are not used here
(except for ZHR's) which will cover most of the displays. Four rates for
each shower under the following conditions are given: 1) city sky or full
moon, 2) suburb sky or quarter moon, 3) rural sky and moonless, 4) ZHR
using the better years if a sharp observable peak occurs in your longitude.
Quadrantids.........5........10........25..........120
Lyrids...................4.........7...........15.........15
Eta Aquarids.......4........6...........10..........40
Delta Aquarids....4.......7............15.........20
Perseids..............10......20........40...........120
Orionids................5.........10.......25..........25
Taurids.................4..........6..........10.........10
Leonids................5.........10.........15..........15
Geminids.............18........35........85..........85
Ursids..................3............5.........10...........20
>>
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Norman,
The chart you made above seems reasonable to me for the general public if
it's displayed this way with the same explanations... and some additional as
well. But if you are going to use only one number to show shower rates, I
believe it should be in the language of meteor observering... that is in ZHR
figures. Without any explanation of why the rates will be different, using
ZHR rates in itself will give some potential for discovering an explanation.
If the individual makes a little effort to read up about meteors, no doubt
they will come across the term ZHR somewhere...probably in the same article
that got him to think about meteors in the first place. This term probably
should be explained. Very soon a new meteor observer is going to have some
rudimentary understanding why rates are different from the ZHR values given.
In teaching a baby how to talk, using baby babble isn't going to help....use
real words and terms. Otherwise they are going to learn to speak in Babblese
and still be unable to communicate.
George Zay