The database of the IMO Video Meteor Network has been updated recently and now contains all observations until December 31, 2007. It is made of 328112 meteor records, collected in 2816 nights and 72582 hours of effective observing time. The PosDat data can be downloaded from the IMO website and from the IMO Video Network Homepage.

In March 1999, a video camera network was established by the German Arbeitskreis Meteore (AKM). By the end of 1999, it consisted of four cameras, and it has been growing ever since. In the next few years, not only observers from Germany joined the initiative, but also from other countries. Because of its international character, the network has been renamed to IMO Video Meteor Network in 2004.

By December 2007, the network had grown to 17 sites in Germany, Slovenia, Italy, Finland, UK, Spain and the USA that provide regular video observations each month. Another 7 stations in Italy, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic supply additional data in selected nights. All cameras work fully automated with the MetRec software. The single station data are collected at a central site, quality checked, and finally entered into the IMO Video Meteor Database.

This database contains for each meteor

• the appearance date and time (*)
• equatorial coordinates of the start and end point of the mean meteor trail (*)
• the apparent meteor velocity and an brightness estimate (*)
• the shower membership according to IMO's working list (*)
• position and brightness data from each individual video frame
• a sum image and a short animation of the meteor

All data marked with an asterisk (*) are available online in IMO's PosDat format.

Please report your observations to be included in the Quadrantids Visual Data Quicklook Page.

The maximum of the 2008 Quadrantid meteor shower is expected to occur near January 4, 7h UT. The Moon is almost new and rises together with Venus in the last observing hour. Western Europe and eastern North America are best suited for observing the peak.

This meteor shower can show maximum corrected rates (Zenithal Hourly Rates - ZHR) for as long as 6 hours, as was shown in 1992 for example. ZHRs may be well above 100, but the peak level varies from year to year. You can expect realistic rates of about one meteor per minute from dark locations.

This poorly observed shower showed enhanced activity quite a few times over the last decades and has produced at least two real outbursts. An international team led by Peter Jenniskens predicts a new outburst for this year, peaking at 20h - 22h15 UT on December 22 with a full-width at half peak intensity of about 2 - 8.5 hours (most likely around 5 hours). The timing and the location of the radiant favours locations in Europe and Asia. The ZHR is expected to reach up to 40 - 80, or up to 8 times normal activity. If the outburst materializes, you can realistically expect to see one meteor every two minutes from dark locations.

Although it is almost full moon, observations using any method are encouraged. Visual observations can be reported using the electronic report form to be included in the Ursids Visual Data Quicklook Page.

For more information on the predictions, check the NASA AMES research center website.

Report your observations to be included in the Geminids Visual Data Quicklook Page.

The Geminids is one of the finest, and probably the most reliable, of the major annual showers presently observable. This year, the waxing crescent Moon will set by mid- evening across the globe on December 14 (the actual moonset timing is progressively later the further south you are), giving mostly dark skies for all observers, especially those in the northern hemisphere. The maximum is predicted for 16h45m UT on December 14, with the more reliably-observed maxima during the past two decades all having occurred within 2h20m of the predicted maximum.

The Geminid radiant culminates around 2h local time, but well north of the equator it rises around sunset, and is at a usable elevation from the local evening hours onwards, while in the southern hemisphere, the radiant appears only around local midnight or so. Even from more southerly sites, this is a splendid stream of often bright, medium-speed meteors, a rewarding sight for all watchers, whatever method they employ.

We are very pleased to inform you that the next IMC will take place near Banská Bystrica in Slovakia from 18th to 21st September 2008. The conference location, the Šachti?ka Hotel, is situated just 7 km from the town of Banská Bystrica.

The IMC 2008 will be the third International Meteor Conference in Slovakia. The conference center is located in a magnificent hotel in a green mountain area. The place is close to the geographical center of Europe, which we plan to visit.

The are many traveling possibilities to Banská Bystrica. The closest airport is in Bratislava. The Slovak capital can also easily be reached by train or bus. Road connections are good, too.

The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) is situated in the Public Observatory and Planetarium in Žiar nad Hronom. The LOC can be contacted via email on imc2008@imo.net.

We will provide you with more detailed information in the December issue of WGN and hope to see you in Slovakia next September.

Report your observations to be included in the Leonids Visual Data Quicklook Page.