Hingene – Belgium, 3 – 5 October 1986

  • 6th meeting
  • Local organizer: Paul Roggemans.
  • 50 participants from 8 countries: Belgium (18), Denmark (1), Germany (11), Hungary (1), Italy (1), the Netherlands (14), Sweden (1) and U.K. (3).
  • 16 presentations of which 15 were included in the Proceedings.
  • IMW 1986 Proceedings (ISBN none): 80 pages (ed. Luc Vanhoeck).
  • Contents: Meteor stream evolution – telescopic observations – meteor work in Sweden – meteor work in the U.K. – meteor work in Hungary – ZHR correction factors – very high meteor rates – Geminids 1985 – Perseids 1985 – large-format cameras – PMDB – prediction techniques – radio meteor work – quanta and meteor science.
  • Participation fee 25 Euro.

A youth hostel “t’Laathof” in Hingene offered us the weekend at an historically low fee of just under 25 Euro. To get this low fee, all residents, including the professional astronomers, were registered as ‘children’. Special attention was paid to the publicity for this edition in many astronomy journals and this proved to be successful. The International Halley Watch raised interest from professional astronomers in amateur meteor work and the IAU sent Drs. Bertil Lindblad and Ian Williams to participate in it. Further international observing campaigns encouraged the agreement on standardized observing and reporting methods: the hot topic of this event. A marathon round-table debate monitored by two chairmen and advized by two professional astronomers resulted in the Handbook for Visual Meteor Observations, the source of the later IMO-standard observing and reporting methods.

Acknowledgement: We thank Casper ter Kuile for providing photographs of the 1986 event.
Memorial: Luc Vanhoeck, editor of the 1986 Proceedings, passed away on 27 February 2005 after a long illness.
High resolution images can be obtained on request for the photos in the gallery.


From 1986 onwards each IMC had its Proceedings printed.

From 1986 onwards each IMC had its Proceedings printed.

The IMC took place in 't Laathof, in the parc of the castle of Hingene (credit unknown photographer).

The IMC took place in ‘t Laathof, in the parc of the castle of Hingene (credit unknown photographer).

The host of the 1986 IMC: Youth hostel 't Laathof (credit unknown photographer).

The host of the 1986 IMC: Youth hostel ‘t Laathof (credit unknown photographer).

The lecture room with the posters on the wall (credit Casper ter Kuile).

The lecture room with the posters on the wall (credit Casper ter Kuile).

In 1986 it wasn't easy to get participants inside after the coffee break. Chris Steyaert calls participants inside, in front is Gaby Haderer, Detlef Koschny, standing in the room Bernhard Koch, before him Ferenc Horvath and at right Ghislain Plesier, Carl Johannink and Per Aldrich (credit Casper ter Kuile).

In 1986 it wasn’t easy to get participants inside after the coffee break. Chris Steyaert calls participants inside, in front is Gaby Haderer, Detlef Koschny, standing in the room Bernhard Koch, before him Ferenc Horvath and at right Ghislain Plesier, Carl Johannink and Per Aldrich (credit Casper ter Kuile).

Casper ter Kuile giving his lecture (credit Casper ter Kuile).

Casper ter Kuile giving his lecture (credit Casper ter Kuile).

Ferenc Horvath giving his lecture about meteor work in Hungary, the first speaker from Eastern Europe at an IMC (credit Paul Roggemans).

Ferenc Horvath giving his lecture about meteor work in Hungary, the first speaker from Eastern Europe at an IMC (credit Paul Roggemans).

Dr.Ian Williams explaining the Quadrantid meteor stream evolution to Peter Jenniskens (credit Paul Roggemans).

Dr.Ian Williams explaining the Quadrantid meteor stream evolution to Peter Jenniskens (credit Paul Roggemans).

Dr.Bertil Lindblad and George Spalding (credit Paul Roggemans).

Dr.Bertil Lindblad and George Spalding (credit Paul Roggemans).

Detlef Koschny, Jan Lanzing and Carl Johannink (credit Casper ter Kuile).

Detlef Koschny, Jan Lanzing and Carl Johannink (credit Casper ter Kuile).

Dr.Bertil Lindblad, Jan Lanzing and Paul Van der Veen (credit Casper ter Kuile).

Dr.Bertil Lindblad, Jan Lanzing and Paul Van der Veen (credit Casper ter Kuile).

Simon Van Leverink, Carl Johannink, Steve Evans, Paul Van der Veen and Marco Van Rossum (credit unknown photographer).

Simon Van Leverink, Carl Johannink, Steve Evans, Paul Van der Veen and Marco Van Rossum (credit unknown photographer).

Coffee break, from l.to r. Paul Koenraad, Marco Van Rossum, Casper ter Kuile, Luc Vanhoeck and Carl Johannink (credit unknown photographer).

Coffee break, from l.to r. Paul Koenraad, Marco Van Rossum, Casper ter Kuile, Luc Vanhoeck and Carl Johannink (credit unknown photographer).

From l.to r. Lieven Smits, Mario Lucic, Peter Jenniskens, Detlef Spotter, Hans-Georg Schmidt, Prof.Dr. Ian Williams, Frank Witte (credit Paul Roggemans).

From l.to r. Lieven Smits, Mario Lucic, Peter Jenniskens, Detlef Spotter, Hans-Georg Schmidt, Prof.Dr. Ian Williams, Frank Witte (credit Paul Roggemans).

From l.to r. Lieven Smits (partly), Per Aldrich, Roberto Gorelli (looking out of the door) and Ferenc Horvath (credit Paul Roggemans).

From l.to r. Lieven Smits (partly), Per Aldrich, Roberto Gorelli (looking out of the door) and Ferenc Horvath (credit Paul Roggemans).

Group photo in front of the castle of Hingene at the IMC host 't Laathof. In frontline seated from l.to r. Giuseppe Canonaco, Jan Lanzing, Immo Holvan, Ian Williams, Marc de Lignie, Chris Steyaert, George Spalding, Klaas Jobse, Luc Vanhoeck, Paul Roggemans, Carl Johannink, Luc Gobin. Standing from l.to r. Steve Evens, Frank Witte, Berhard Koch, Ferenc Horvath, Casper ter Kuile, Niels Nelson, Paul Van der Veen, Peter Jenniskens, Urijan Poerink, Paul Koenraad, Axel Haas, Marc Gyssens, Hans-Georg Schmidt, Per Aldrich, Werner Hasubick, Geert Verlinden, Ann Schroyens, Detlef Spotter, Dirk Laurent, Gaby Haderer, Roberto Gorelli, Kris Deman, Michael Nolle, Lieven Philips, Glenn Ticket, Mario Lucic, Jeroen Van Wassenhove, Ghislain Plesier, Ludwig Cluyse, Detlef Koschny, Simon Van Leverink, Roland Egger, Maurice Demeyere, Marc Van De Weyde, Lieven Smits, Marco Van Rossum. Not in the group picture : Erik Bredael and Bertil Lindblad (credit Paul Roggemans).

Group photo in front of the castle of Hingene at the IMC host ‘t Laathof. In frontline seated from l.to r. Giuseppe Canonaco, Jan Lanzing, Immo Holvan, Ian Williams, Marc de Lignie, Chris Steyaert, George Spalding, Klaas Jobse, Luc Vanhoeck, Paul Roggemans, Carl Johannink, Luc Gobin. Standing from l.to r. Steve Evens, Frank Witte, Berhard Koch, Ferenc Horvath, Casper ter Kuile, Niels Nelson, Paul Van der Veen, Peter Jenniskens, Urijan Poerink, Paul Koenraad, Axel Haas, Marc Gyssens, Hans-Georg Schmidt, Per Aldrich, Werner Hasubick, Geert Verlinden, Ann Schroyens, Detlef Spotter, Dirk Laurent, Gaby Haderer, Roberto Gorelli, Kris Deman, Michael Nolle, Lieven Philips, Glenn Ticket, Mario Lucic, Jeroen Van Wassenhove, Ghislain Plesier, Ludwig Cluyse, Detlef Koschny, Simon Van Leverink, Roland Egger, Maurice Demeyere, Marc Van De Weyde, Lieven Smits, Marco Van Rossum. Not in the group picture : Erik Bredael and Bertil Lindblad (credit Paul Roggemans).

Group photo in front of the IMC host 't Laathof (credit Casper ter Kuile).

Group photo in front of the IMC host ‘t Laathof (credit Casper ter Kuile).

Group photo in front of the IMC host 't Laathof (credit Paul Roggemans).

Group photo in front of the IMC host ‘t Laathof (credit Paul Roggemans).