Results of the AKM Video Meteor Network - February 2003
=======================================================

Strange: In January I predicted that the number of "Australian meteors" will 
increase in the months to come, but I was wrong. Whereas the Australian 
summer was unusually cloudy, there was exceptionally good weather in 
central Europe in the second half of Febuary. Three observers reported 
more nights than Steve Quirk in Australia! In the Bavarian village of 
Seysdorf I could observe in every night from February 16 to 28. There would
have been two more in addition to the 17 observing nights this month if
I had not spend a weekend out of town. Other German observers also enjoyed 
many cloudfree nights, but they sufferend from occasional fog.

The increase of meteor numbers from the middle to the end of February by 
about a factor of two is well visible in the data set of AVIS. The reason
is the waning moon, which disturbed the observation less and less towards 
the end of the month. In total, 11 observers reported more than 800 hours of
observing time in Februry 2003, which ranks among the five best months in the 
history of the AKM network. We finished the fourth year of network operation 
which started in March 1999. 
Almost 2000 meteors could be recorded, which is a huge number relative to the 
low meteor activity at this time of year. Together with the data from previous 
years it should now be possible to draw an accurate picture from ecliptical 
activity at the beginning of the year.

In Finland, Ilkka Yrjola also obtained more than 10 observing nights, but
the observers in England and on the Canaries were less successful. That does
not change the good overall picture of February 2003, though.


1. Observers
============

Code    Name       Place           Camera          FOV    LM Nights Time Meteors
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BENOR Benitez S. Maspalomas    TIMES4 (1.4/50)    20 dg  4 mag   4  28.1 h    32
EVAST Evans      Moreton       EMILY (1.8/28)     36 dg  5 mag   1   3.0 h     6
KNOAN Knoefel    Essen         VIDEOMET (0.75/50) 20 dg  7 mag  13  91.9 h   139
KOSDE Koschny    Noordwijkerh. ICC3 (0.85/25)     25 dg  6 mag  15 125.8 h   265
MOLSI Molau      Seysdorf      AVIS (2.0/35)      40 dg  5 mag  17 153.6 h   464
NITMI Nitschke   Dresden       VK1 (0.75/50)      20 dg  8 mag   5  25.1 h    50
QUIST Quirk      Mudgee        SSO-WAT1 (0.85/25) 13 dg  5 mag  11  86.0 h   169
RENJU Rendtel    Marquardt     AKM2 (0.85/25)     32 dg  6 mag  10  99.6 h   437
                               CARMEN (1.8/28)    28 dg  5 mag   2  12.1 h    18
SPEUL Sperberg   Salzwedel     AKM1 (0.85/25)     32 dg  6 mag   5  49.0 h   189
STRJO Strunk     Leopoldshoehe MINCAM2(0.8/6)     55 dg  3 mag   9  72.4 h   102
YRJIL Yrjola     Kuusankoski   NONAME (2.0/35)    38 dg  6 mag  11  89.0 h    96
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sum                                                             27 835.6 h  1967


2. Observing Times (h)
======================

Feb    01   02   03   04   05   06   07   08   09   10   11   12   13   14   15
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BENOR   -    -    -    -   7.2   -    -    -    -   6.6   -    -    -    -    -
EVAST  3.0   -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -
KNOAN   -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -   8.2  8.1  6.4  4.0  5.5  8.2   -
KOSDE   -    -    -    -   7.2   -    -    -    -   4.6   -    -   9.8  0.9   -
MOLSI 10.3  1.6   -    -    -    -    -    -  10.9   -    -   9.3   -    -    -
NITMI   -    -    -    -    -    -    -   5.0  5.0   -    -    -    -    -    -
QUIST   -    -   8.3  8.6  7.3  8.3   -    -    -    -   7.6  8.2   -   7.5   -
RENJU   -    -    -    -    -    -    -  11.8 11.2   -  10.3  9.0   -    -    -
        -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -   8.0   -    -
SPEUL   -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -
STRJO   -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -
YRJIL   -    -   4.2  2.8   -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -  12.4 11.0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sum   13.3  1.6 12.5 11.4 21.7  8.3   -  16.8 35.3 19.3 24.3 30.5 23.3 29.0 11.0

Feb    16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28
----------------------------------------------------------------------
BENOR   -   7.8   -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -   6.5   -    -
EVAST   -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -
KNOAN   -    -   6.9  6.2  7.1  6.5  7.0  9.7  8.1   -    -    -    -
KOSDE 10.0 11.2 10.9 10.0 10.9 11.2 10.4  5.4 10.2 10.3  2.8   -    -
MOLSI  0.4 10.6 11.4 11.0  6.5  9.6 11.0 10.3 11.2 11.2 10.0 11.1  7.2
NITMI   -    -    -    -    -   5.1   -   5.0  5.0   -    -    -    -
QUIST   -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -   7.9  6.4  8.7  7.2   -
RENJU   -    -    -    -    -    -   9.7  9.8 11.4 10.1 10.6  5.7   -
        -   4.1   -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -
SPEUL   -    -    -    -    -    -   9.5  9.3 11.0   -   9.2 10.0   -
STRJO   -    -    -   0.9   -  11.4 11.4 11.1 11.3 11.3 11.3  2.7  1.0
YRJIL   -   8.5  8.5 11.7  9.6 11.5   -   5.0   -   3.8   -    -    -
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sum   10.4 42.2 37.7 39.8 34.1 55.3 59.0 65.6 76.1 53.1 59.1 36.7  8.2


3. Results (Meteors)
====================

Feb    01   02   03   04   05   06   07   08   09   10   11   12   13   14   15
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BENOR   -    -    -    -   15    -    -    -    -   11    -    -    -    -    -
EVAST   6    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -
KNOAN   -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -   11   17    5    6    3    1    -
KOSDE   -    -    -    -   14    -    -    -    -    2    -    -   17    1    -
MOLSI  32    2    -    -    -    -    -    -   28    -    -   32    -    -    -
NITMI   -    -    -    -    -    -    -   13   11    -    -    -    -    -    -
QUIST   -    -   20   11   12   14    -    -    -    -   13   13    -   13    -
RENJU   -    -    -    -    -    -    -   50   40    -   32    6    -    -    -
        -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -   15    -    -
SPEUL   -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -
STRJO   -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -
YRJIL   -    -    3    2    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -   12   12
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sum    38    2   23   13   41   14    -   63   90   30   50   57   35   27   12

Feb    16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28
----------------------------------------------------------------------
BENOR   -    5    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    1    -    -
EVAST   -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -
KNOAN   -    -    8   12   10   11   14   14   27    -    -    -    -
KOSDE  23   28   26   20   20   23   31    6   15   35    4    -    -
MOLSI   1   14   25   27   13   21   40   43   47   57   41   28   13
NITMI   -    -    -    -    -    3    -    8   15    -    -    -    -
QUIST   -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -   17   26   22    8    -
RENJU   -    -    -    -    -    -   51   42   68   77   57   14    -
        -    3    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -
SPEUL   -    -    -    -    -    -   38   59   52    -   37    3    -
STRJO   -    -    -    3    -   19   12   16    9   24   12    6    1
YRJIL   -    6    7    8   24   13    -    6    -    3    -    -    -
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sum    24   56   66   70   67   90  186  194  250  222  174   59   14

Sirko Molau, 2003/03/15