Video Observations of the 1999 Leonid Meteor Storm Recorded at Different Locations
Abstract
Recordings of the 1999 Leonid meteor storm obtained with intensified video meteor cameras at different locations distributed over about 6000 km were analyzed. We find a major activity peak at 2h02m +- 2m UT (lambda = 235.285 +- 0.001 deg, J2000) and a significant sub-peak (at eastern locations) or an activity plateau (Iberian data) between 1h39m and 1h53m UT, possibly associated with the 1932 Leonid dust trail (all times topocentrically corrected). The descending branch of the asymmetric activity profile (full width at half maximum 49+-3 minutes) is 1.6 times steeper than the ascending branch. Quasi-periodic activity variations have been detected in all regional data sets, mainly at 15 minutes and 7-10 minutes. Magnitude data of several cameras indicate a lower mass cut-off of the Leonids near magnitude +3, or about 10^-3 g meteoroid mass. The Leonid radiant is very sharp at alpha = 153.6 +- 0.1 deg, delta = +21.9 +- 0.1 deg (lambda = 235.290 deg, J2000) with no detectable shift or size variation at the peak and the pre-maximum periods (about 25 and 15 minutes before the activity peak).
- Publication:
-
WGN, Journal of the International Meteor Organization
- Pub Date:
- October 2000
- Bibcode:
- 2000JIMO...28..150R