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Re: (meteorobs) Re: darrell conger
We know from various methods that there are approximately 200 +5 meteors
per hour on average in the sky and correspondingly smaller numbers as we
go brighter (approximately 30% per magnitude), but with our limited
fields of view and perceptions, we only see a small fraction of these
meteors. Those of us blessed with above average perceptions see more of
those fainter meteors. 7000--8000 in a decent year doesn't strike me as
particularly beyond the bounds of a keen observer. It's excellent, but
not off the graph. Now if that was in say ten to fifteen nights of
observation, that would be remarkable.
One decent full Geminid campaign unless excellent skies can yield a few
thousand meteors. I recall Paul Roggemans doing this from Provence and
his perception was below average. Even from Britain a few thousand
during the Perseid campaign with a favourable moon and run of clear
nights I've seen that kind of total.
If a genuine observer's data is only met with scepticism and can't be
used because it's "not normal", it's no surprise if that observer
vanishes from the scene. Sure as an analyst you want to have some
validation, but in a big country it's hard. I suppose one could compare
plotting alongside a team of observers each covering smaller regions, or
a battery of video cameras.
Malcolm Currie
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