- 8th meeting
- Local organizers: Zsolt Berend, Tamás Kalmár, Kálmán Tarnay, Péter Spányi, Gábor Süle, István Tepliczky – Hungarian Amateur Astronomical Society (MACSIT), Hungarian Meteor and Fireball Observing Network (MMTÉH)
- 66 participants from 11 countries: Belgium (5), Bulgaria (6), Croatia/Yugoslavia (2), Czech Republic/Czechoslovakia (3), Germany/BRD&DDR (12), France (2), Hungary (23), Russia/USSR (2), the Netherlands (4), Slovakia/Czechoslovakia (6) and U.K. (1).
- 20 presentations all of which were given in the Proceedings.
- IMC 1989 Proceedings (ISBN none): 103 pages (eds Péter Spányi, István Tepliczky).
- Contents: Impact processes – fireball rates, patrol – radiant determination from TV meteors – association of minor shower meteors – sporadic-E activity – computer programs for meteor observers.
- Participation fee 90 Euro.
The 1989 IMC took place in Hotel Festival at Lake Balaton, a favorite holiday resort of the former Communist Party. To prepare the final aspects of the first General Assembly of the then one-year-old IMO, several IMO members arrived days before the IMC and stayed in Kötcse, in a farmhouse that served as the observing site for the Hungarian Amateur Astronomical Society.
At this 8th meeting the IMC-concept was changed: IMO became supervisor and coordinator of the IMC, while the organizational aspects were to be managed by a local organizing committee. The IMC was extended by one day, making it more worthwhile for people to travel far for it. As a consequence, the participation fee of the IMC increased, but since this was done, more participants from more countries have attended the event. The Conference became an annual one, instead of at about every 18 months, and an optimal date around a month after the Perseid maximum was considered as the best time for future IMCs. A half day was reserved for an excursion. This time the historical town of Tihany, located on a beautiful peninsula on the opposite side of Lake Balaton was the destination. Participants may remember how the large lorry of a Czech participant served to transport some 20 people to the ferry.
The first and founding General Assembly of the IMO took place at this IMC, at a historical moment for Europe, just when the Iron Curtain, that had split West and East Europe for several decades, started to collapse. The location of the Conference (in a former “socialist” country) allowed more people from East European countries to participate than ever before. In our own way, this was the meteor observers’ contribution to the unification of Europe.
Acknowledgement: We thank Péter Spányi and Casper ter Kuile for providing photographs for the 1989 IMC, Alastair McBeath and Péter Spányi for their contribution to the description.
High resolution versions can be obtained on request for the images in the gallery.
The Proceedings of the International Meteor Conference, Balatonföldfár 1989.
In order to prepare the IMO founding general assembly the provisional board of IMO stayed at a farm house that served as observatory in Kötcse (credit Casper ter Kuile).
Meals were provided in a local school in Kötcse, from l.to r. first table Evelyne Blomme, Rainer Arlt, Marc Gyssens, Jürgen Rendtel, André Knöfel and in front at right Malcolm Currie (credit Casper ter Kuile).
A tourist hotel served as IMC host (credit Casper ter Kuile).
A tourist hotel served as IMC host (credit Péter Spányi).
Tamás Kalmár and Jürgen Rendtel opening the IMC (credit Casper ter Kuile).
Szaniszló Bérczi presenting ‘Meteorites and the evolution of the Solar System’ (credit Péter Spányi).
Casper ter Kuile presenting ‘Astroprograms for Meteor Observers’ (credit Péter Spányi).
Detlef Koschny presenting ‘Impact Processes – A Summary’ (credit Péter Spányi).
Alexandra Terentjeva presenting ‘The main problem of visual observation’ (credit Casper ter Kuile).
Alexandra Terentjeva presenting ‘The main problem of visual observation’ (credit Péter Spányi).
Ralf Koschack presenting ‘Associating of Meteors to Meteor Showers Using Visual Observations’ (credit Péter Spányi).
Jürgen Rendtel presenting ‘Fireball rates’ (credit Casper ter Kuile).
Jürgen Rendtel presenting ‘Fireball rates’ (credit Péter Spányi).
Dieter Heinlein presenting ‘Fireball Photography in Germany’ (credit Péter Spányi).
Gábor Süle presenting ‘The Hungarian Visual meteor database’ (credit Casper ter Kuile).
Gábor Süle presenting ‘The Hungarian Visual meteor database’ (credit Péter Spányi).
Paul Roggemans presenting ‘The visual meteor database’ (credit Casper ter Kuile).
Paul Roggemans presenting ‘The visual meteor database’ (credit Péter Spányi).
Ferenc Fodor presenting ‘The state of the Ionosphere and the Radio Meteor activity’ (credit Péter Spányi).
Tamás Zalezsák presenting ‘Coordinate determination on Meteor Photographs’ (credit Péter Spányi).
Marc de Lignie presenting ‘Accurate radiant determination from TV meteors’ (credit Casper ter Kuile).
Marc de Lignie presenting ‘Accurate radiant determination from TV meteors’ (credit Péter Spányi).
Marc Gyssens and the IMO Founding General Assembly, on the first row André Knöfel, Ralf Koschack, Rainer Arlt, second row Jeroen Van Wassenhove, Mark Vints and Jan Hollan (credit Casper ter Kuile).
The audience, at the bottom Casper ter Kuile and Christian Steyaert, in the middle Gennadij Andreev and Alexandra Terentjeva, at the far end Peter Zimnikoval and Daniel Ocenas, at the last row Malcolm Currie and Korado Korlevic (credit Casper ter Kuile).
The audience, first row Detlef Koschny and Paul Roggemans, second row Dieter Heinlein and Evelyne Blomme, third row Rainer Arlt, Jürgen Rendtel and André Knöfel, fourth row Valentin Velkov, Ralf Koschack and Korado Korlevic (credit Casper ter Kuile).
The audience, in front: Mark Vints, Detlef Koschny, Gennadij Andreev and Jan Hollan. In the background, Casper ter Kuile (hidden behind overhead), Christian Steyaert, second row Bernhard Koch, ??, Eva Buzhorova, Valentin Velkov. Third row: Dieter Heinlein, ??, ??, Paul Roggemans. Last row: Axel Haas and Jeroen Van Wassenhove (credit Péter Spányi).
The audience. First row l.to r. Axel Haas, Marc de Lignie, ?? and Malcolm Currie (back). Second row: Detlef Koschny, Casper ter Kuile, Christian Steyaert and Mark Vints. Third row Dieter Heinlein (behind overhead), Evelyne Blomme and Jeroen Van Wassenhove. Last row: Rainer Arlt and Ralf Koschack (credit Péter Spányi).
Informal chat, Dieter Heinlein and Gabor Süle (credit Casper ter Kuile).
PC room with László Csabai, Zoltán Hevesi, Ferenc Fodor, István Tepliczky and György Horváth (credit Péter Spányi).
PC room with Rainer Arlt and Casper ter Kuile (credit Péter Spányi).
PC room with György Horváth, Zoltán Hevesi, André Knöfel (seated), Gábor Süle (seated), László Csabai and István Tepliczky (seated) (credit Casper ter Kuile).
PC room with László Csabai, Casper ter Kuile, András Steiner and György Horváth (credit Péter Spányi).
András Steiner, Ferenc Fodor, Tamás Zalezsák, Gyöngyvér Kudor and László Csabai (credit Péter Spányi).
Informal chat, from l.to r. Gennadij Andreev, Dieter Heinlein, Gábor Süle, Korlevic Korado, Péter Spányi and András Steiner (credit Casper ter Kuile).
András Steiner, Gábor Dömény, Tamás Zalezsák and Gábor Süle (credit Péter Spányi).
Informal chat Dieter Heinlein, Korado Korlevic, Péter Spányi and András Steiner (credit Casper ter Kuile).
??, Ottó Pósa, Daniel Ocenás and Bernhard Koch (credit Péter Spányi).
Some meteorite samples (credit Péter Spányi).
Some meteorite samples (credit Péter Spányi).
Lunch at the IMC, from l.to r. Marc de Lignie, Thomas Nobiling, Chris Steyaert and Jan Lanzing looking behind (credit Casper ter Kuile).
Paul Roggemans, Ralf Koschack, Alexandra Terentjeva (credit unknown photographer).
The lorry of Jan Hollan served as transport vehicle, in front Petr Pravec (credit Casper ter Kuile).
A ferry took the participants across Lake Balaton to the Tihany peninsula (credit Casper ter Kuile).
The excursion in Tihany, from l.to r. Pavol Rapavy, Kálmán Tarnay, Ferenc Fodor, Detlef Koschny, Dieter Heinlein and Axel Haas (credit Casper ter Kuile).
The excursion in Tihany (credit Péter Spányi).
The excursion in Tihany (credit Péter Spányi).
The excursion in Tihany, Jan Hollan, ?? and Detlef Koschny (credit Casper ter Kuile).
Kötcse, Casper ter Kuile on top of the watch tower (credit Casper ter Kuile).
The excursion in Tihany, Casper ter Kuile photographing (credit Péter Spányi).
The group photo, from l.to r. Casper ter Kuile, Christian Steyaert, Jürgen Rendtel, Miroslav Znasik, Jan Hollan, Peter Zimnikoval, Jan Lanzing, Thomas Nobiling, ??, Ralf Koschack, Gennadij Andreev, Valentin Velkov, ??, Malcolm Currie, Venco Kounoff, Rainer Arlt, ??, Kálmán Posztobányi, Daniel Ocenas, Mark Vints, Marc Gyssens, Kálmán Tarnay, André Knöfel, ??, Judit Deli, Zsolt Berend, ??, Ference Fodor, Attila Alföldi, Axel Haas, Dieter Heinlein, Gyöngyvér Kudor, Tamás Zalezsák, Alexandra Terentjeva, Marc de Lignie, Detlef Koschny, Bernhard Koch, Petr Pravec, ??, Gábor Dömény, ??, Michael Nolle, László Csabai, Eva Buzhorova, András Steiner and Pavol Rapavy (credit Péter Spányi).
Kötcse watch tower, from l.to r. Jan Lanzing, Dieter Heinlein, Detlef Koschny and Marc de Lignie (credit Casper ter Kuile).
The excursion in Tihany, Axel Haas photographing (credit Péter Spányi).
The excursion in Tihany, in front Jürgen Rendtel and André Knöfel, on the top Gennadij Andreev (credit Péter Spányi).
The excursion in Tihany, Casper ter Kuile and Jan Lanzing, sitting down (credit Casper ter Kuile).
The excursion in Tihany, Gyöngyvér Kudor, Ferenc Fodor, Judit Deli (credit Péter Spányi).
The excursion in Tihany (credit Péter Spányi).
The excursion on Tihany (credit Péter Spányi).
Gennadij Andreev presenting ‘The international investigation of the 1908 Tunguska event’ (credit Casper ter Kuile).
Gennadij Andreev presenting ‘The international investigation of the 1908 Tunguska event’ (credit Péter Spányi).
Peter Zimnikoval presenting ‘Results of the 1989 meteor expedition’ (credit Casper ter Kuile).
Daniel Ocenás presenting ‘Results of the 1989 meteor expedition’ (credit Casper ter Kuile).
Jeroen Van Wassenhove presenting ‘Radio Meteor Work’ (credit Péter Spányi).
Malcolm Currie presenting ‘A new Method for Radio Meteor Observations’ (credit Péter Spányi).
From l.to r. Alexandra Terentjeva, Jürgen Rendtel and Malcolm Currie (credit Casper ter Kuile).
Local organizer Tamás Kalmár (credit Casper ter Kuile).
The gnomonic stellar ‘sphere’ made at the Brno Observatory (credit Péter Spányi).