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(meteorobs) NAMN Observations: December 2001



North American Meteor Network
Recent Observations: December 2001

December highlights included both the Geminids and Ursids. While the
Geminids were pretty well covered, the Ursids suffered once again from a
lack of observations. Below is a listing of all observers who submitted
reports this month, followed by the individual observing period summary and
a table of numbers of meteors reported. During December, over 146 hours of
observations were received and shared with the International Meteor
Organization. Thanks go to all of the observers!!

Mark Fox reported the first Geminid of 2001 on December 7/8. It would be a
little less than a week later that they would begin to make their presence
known in earnest. As can be seen in the observing periods below, a large
increase in activity occurred between December 10/11 and 11/12. For the
10/11, Wes Stone and Michel Vandeputte reported 10 and 7 Geminids per hour
respectively. By the next night, observers reported rates 3-4 times as high
such as Lew Gramer (31/hour), Pierre Martin (24/hour), Brian Shulist
(34/hour) and Wes Stone (23/hour). Activity continued to climb as Norman
McLeod reported 106 Geminids in 2 hours of observing the following night
(December 12/13). Peak activity was expected to occur on the night of
December 13/14. Nineteen observers monitored the peak night, with a wide
scatter in the results. Casual observations reported around 20 each hour,
while the highest rates averaged above 80 per hour. Highest counts were from
Ed Cannon (85/hour), Francisco Ocana (100/hour), Brian Shulist (104/hour)
and Michel Vandeputte (81/hour).

In comparison, only four observers were able to watch during the Ursid peak
on December 21/22. Peter Detterline and Bert Matous both reported the first
Ursids of 2001 on December 19/20. In fact, Peter reported 3 during a
one-hour observing session, which would exceed the hourly rates reported
during the peak two days later! On December 21/22, Norman McLeod, Mayuresh
Girish Prabhune and Richard Taibi combined for a total of only 10 Ursids in
6.07 hours of observing. The best show this year was the one seen by Huan
Meng in China when he reported 18 Ursids in a little more than one-hour of
observing on December 22/23. Unfortunately, Huan's report was the only one
received for that date.

On the parent body front, Michael Boschat made good use of his time during
the holiday season by not only continuing his radio observations of meteors,
but by also continuing his comet discovering habit! On December 8, 2001 he
picked up SOHO #380 followed by SOHO #386 on December 21/22, giving him a
total of 32 finds so far! More details can be found at
http://sungrazer.nascom.nasadot gov/

I hope you and your family have had an enjoyable year and that 2002 will
bring more joy and peaceful moments to your lives. I look forward to
continuing to hear of everyone's meteor observing adventures...

Mark Davis
3 January 2002


OBSERVERS
Joseph Assmus, USA
Patrick Burke, USA
Ed Cannon, USA
Peter Detterline, USA
Mark Fox, USA
Rebekah Fox, USA
George Gliba, USA
Lew Gramer, USA
Cathy Hall, Canada
Robert Hays, Jr., USA
Marco Langbroek, Netherlands
Mike Linnolt, USA
Robert Lunsford, USA
Christophe Marlot, France
Pierre Martin, Canada
Felix Martinez, USA
Bert Matous, USA
Norman McLeod, USA
Huan Meng, China
Francisco Ocana, Spain
Francois Pineau, France
Jacques Plee, France
Mayuresh Girish Prabhune, India
Ankur Puranik, India
Kelvin Seet, Singapore
Brian Shulist, Canada
Leo Stachowicz, United Kingdom
Mike Stephens, Canada
Enrico Stomeo, Italy
Wes Stone, USA
David Swann, USA
Richard Taibi, USA
Michel Vandeputte, Belgium
Daniel van Os, Netherlands
Harry Waldron, USA


OBSERVING SUMMARIES
April 20/21:
Lew Gramer (Teff=2.76, 27 LYR, 35 SPO)

June 25/26:
Lew Gramer (Teff=0.99, 1 JBO, 1 SAG, 8 SPO)

June 27/28:
Lew Gramer (Teff=1.33, 1 JBO, 3 SAG, 10 SPO)

July 20/21:
Lew Gramer (Teff=1.87, 1 NDA, 1 PAU, 2 PER, 21 SPO)

July 27/28:
Lew Gramer (Teff=2.02, 2 CAP, 3 NDA, 2 PAU, 4 PER, 16 SDA, 34 SPO)

November 6/7:
Lew Gramer (Teff=1.13, 3 NTA, 5 STA, 4 SPO)

November 16/17:
Robert Hays, Jr. (Teff=2.00, 23 LEO, 4 NTA, 10 SPO)

November 17/18:
Cathy Hall (Teff=2.52, 3 IAU, 1038 LEO, 41 SPO)
Robert Hays, Jr. (Teff=3.60, 731 LEO, 2 NTA, 23 SPO)

November 23/24:
Enrico Stomeo (Teff=1.53, 1 DER, 1 TAU, 1 XOR, 6 SPO)

December 2/3:
Harry Waldron (Teff=0.25 1 SPO)

December 7/8:
Mark Fox (Teff=0.85, 1 GEM, 3 SPO)

December 9/10:
Brian Shulist (Teff=3.75, 40 GEM, 5 HYD, 5 MON, 6 XOR)
Michel Vandeputte (Teff=5.50, 23 GEM, 4 HYD, 2 MON, 3 XOR, 46 SPO)

December 10/11:
Mark Fox (Teff=1.22, 5 SPO)
Rebekah Fox (Teff=0.50, 1 SPO)
Enrico Stomeo (Teff=1.37, 1 MON, 1 SZA, 1 XOR, 6 SPO)
Wes Stone (Teff=2.73, 28 GEM, 2 HYD, 4 MON, 6 XOR, 47 SPO)
Michel Vandeputte (Teff=4.50, 32 GEM, 5 HYD, 2 MON, 4 XOR, 48 SPO)

December 11/12:
Peter Detterline (Teff=1.25, 13 GEM, 5 SPO)
Lew Gramer (Teff=2.32, 73 GEM, 3 HYD, 3 XOR, 26 SPO)
Pierre Martin (Teff=3.03, 73 GEM, 5 HYD, 4 MON, 7 XOR, 26 SPO)
Brian Shulist (Teff=6.00, 7 COM, 205 GEM, 5 HYD, 8 MON, 1 XOR, 58 SPO)
Leo Stachowicz (Teff=3.00, 7 GEM)
Enrico Stomeo (Teff=0.85, 1 MON, 1 XOR, 4 SPO)
Wes Stone (Teff=1.42, 33 GEM, 2 HYD, 1 MON, 7 XOR, 8 SPO)

December 12/13:
Norman McLeod (Teff=2.00, 106 GEM)
Enrico Stomeo (Teff=2.35, 6 GEM, 1 MON, 1 XOR, 6 SPO)

December 13/14:
Joseph Assmus (Teff=2.00, 29 GEM, 3 SPO)
Patrick Burke (Teff=2.25, 131 GEM, 2 SPO)
Ed Cannon (Teff=1.17, 100 GEM, 14 SPO)
Marco Langbroek (Teff=1.75, 118 GEM, 3 HYD, 8 MON, 3 XOR, 27 SPO)
Mike Linnolt (Teff=0.27, 2 GEM, 1 XOR, 2 SPO)
Robert Lunsford (Teff=4.00, 2 COM, 257 GEM, 5 XOR, 17 SPO)
Christophe Marlot (Teff=1.50, 30 GEM, 2 SPO)
Pierre Martin (Teff=1.93, 3 COM, 112 GEM, 2 HYD, 1 XOR, 14 SPO)
Bert Matous (Teff=2.67, 159 GEM, 1 HYD, 4 URS, 6 XOR, 21 SPO)
Norman McLeod (Teff=4.90, 247 GEM)
Francisco Ocana (Teff=0.39, 39 GEM, 1 SPO)
Francois Pineau (Teff=5.67, 164 GEM, 14 SPO)
Jacques Plee (Teff=2.25, 54 GEM)
Ankur Puranik (Teff=2.00, 52 GEM, 2 SPO)
Kelvin Seet (Teff=4.00, 89 GEM, 1 SPO)
Brian Shulist (Teff=1.17, 122 GEM, 21 SPO)
Mike Stephens (Teff=1.00, 45 GEM, 1 SPO)
Michel Vandeputte (Teff=8.75, 712 GEM, 2 HYD, 1 MON, 115 SPO)
Daniel van Os (Teff=6.12, 382 GEM, 2 HYD, 1 MON, 4 XOR, 111 SPO)

December 14/15:
Peter Detterline (Teff=2.15, 9 GEM, 6 SPO)
George Gliba (Teff=2.00, 17 GEM, 1 HYD, 1 MON, 7 SPO)
Felix Martinez (Teff=5.50, 52 GEM, 8 HYD, 2 MON, 3 XOR, 18 SPO)
Richard Taibi (Teff=0.93, 2 GEM, 2 SPO)
Michel Vandeputte (Teff=3.00, 50 GEM, 3 HYD, 1 XOR, 40 SPO)

December 15/16:
Lew Gramer (Teff=2.03, 1 COM, 28 GEM, 5 HYD, 6 MON, 4 XOR, 33 SPO)
Brian Shulist (Teff=3.25, 2 COM, 19 GEM, 31 SPO)
Harry Waldron (Teff=0.25, 5 SPO)

December 19/20:
Peter Detterline (Teff=1.00, 3 URS, 3 SPO)
Bert Matous (Teff=1.75, 3 COM, 2 GEM, 1 URS, 18 SPO)

December 20/21:
David Swann (Teff=1.50, 2 COM, 2 URS, 4 SPO)

December 21/22:
Robert Lunsford (Teff=2.00, 2 COM, 11 SPO)
Norman McLeod (Teff=1.42, 2 URS, 6 SPO)
Mayuresh Girish Prabhune (Teff=2.00, 5 URS, 8 SPO)
Richard Taibi (Teff=2.65, 3 COM, 3 URS, 17 SPO)

December 22/23:
Huan Meng (Teff=1.08, 18 URS, 9 SPO)


OBSERVED SHOWERS

Shower                          # Observed
CAP: Alpha Capricornids               2
COM: Coma Berenicids                 25
DER: Delta Eridanids                  1
GEM: Geminids                      3663
HYD: Sigma Hydrids                   58
IAU: Iota Aurigids                    3
JBO: June Bootids                     2
LEO: Leonids                       1792
LYR: Lyrids                          27
MON: Monocerotids                    48
NDA: Northern Delta Aquarids          4
NTA: Northern Taurids                 9
PAU: Piscis Austrinids                3
PER: Perseids                         6
SAG: Sagittarids                      4
SDA: Southern Delta Aquarids         21
SZA: South Zeta Aurigids              1
TAU: Taurids (combined radiant)       1
URS: Ursids                          38
XOR: Chi Orionids                    69

SPO: Sporadics                     1130


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