- 16th meeting
- Local organizers: Dragana Okolić, Vladimir Lukic (Petnica Science Center).
- 69 participants from 12 countries: Belgium (5), Bulgaria (8), Croatia (2), Germany (6), Italy (2), Japan (1), the Netherlands (1), Romania (5), Serbia (33), Slovakia (2), Slovenia (2) and U.K. (2).
- 16 presentations of which 15 were included in the Proceedings.
- IMC 1997 Proceedings (ISBN 978-2-87355-009-7): 109 pages (eds. André Knöfel, Alastair McBeath).
- Contents: Perseids 1997 – eta Aquariids – Ursids 1996 – fireballs – telescopic observations – combined video and radar observing – meteor mythology – meteor speeds from Hough transforms – meteors and computers, internet.
- Participation fee 70 Euro.
The selection of the 1997 IMC location in Serbia (in a coquetish university science campus) caused some commotion due to the war circumstances in the 1990’s. IMO as an apolitical society of individual persons decided to have its IMC in Serbia where a large number of very active young meteor observers were isolated and unable to get to an IMC elsewhere. The magic of the IMC-spirit did its work. Video meteor observations got a lot of attention at this IMC and the Video Commission was established. An excursion was made to an old nunnery (that resisted a long time ago during the Ottoman occupation) and to the Fat Hill (a “sacred” place – at 1400m altitude – for the Serbian meteor observers), and beside the excursion, fewer lectures than at other IMCs provided plenty of time for personal talks and friendships. Three eastern special souvenirs: the beauty and kindness of the student girls from Belgrade University (volunteers in organizing this IMC), the first Romanian Astroshow of poetry and arts (including a large exhibition and an astropoetic drama) in the second evening, and a Bulgarian humorous astrosketch in the third evening. In 1997 participants got for the first time an IMC T-shirt as a souvenir.
Acknowledgement: We thank Valentin Grigore and Valentin Velkov for providing photographs of this 1997 IMC and Valentin Velkov for helping to identify the persons on the photographs.
In Memoriam: we remember the tragic death of Jože Prudič on 2 December 1997.
The Proceedings of the International Meteor Conference, Petnica 1997.
Arrival of the participants (credit unkown photographer, image provided by Valentin Velkov).
Arrival of the participants (credit unkown photographer, image provided by Valentin Velkov).
Lina Rashkova and Katya Koleva at the registration desk (credit unkown photographer, image provided by Valentin Velkov).
Lina Rashkova at the registration desk (credit unkown photographer, image provided by Valentin Velkov).
Ivelina Momcheva, Katya Koleva, Eva Bozhurova and Nagatoshi Nogami (credit unkown photographer, image provided by Valentin Velkov).
Petra Rendtel and Eva Bozhurova (credit unkown photographer, image provided by Valentin Velkov).
Eva Bozhurova feeding the sheeps (credit unkown photographer, image provided by Valentin Velkov).
In front Eva Bozhurova, Valentin Velkov and Lina Rashkova (back) (credit unkown photographer, image provided by Valentin Velkov).
Hanging up the posters (credit unkown photographer, image provided by Valentin Velkov).
Alastair McBeath and Lina Rashkova (credit unkown photographer, image provided by Valentin Velkov).
Andrei Dorian Gheorge, Valentin Grigore, Stefan Berinde, Alastair McBeath, Gelu Claudiu Radu and Adrian Negoescu (credit Valentin Grigore).
Andrei Dorian Gheorge and Alastair McBeath in front of the posters (credit Valentin Grigore).
Andrei Dorian Gheorge during his presentation (credit Valentin Grigore).
The conference room and the audience (credit unkown photographer, image provided by Valentin Velkov).
During the poster session (credit unkown photographer, image provided by Valentin Velkov).
During the poster session, Sirko Molau, Lina Rašhkova and Valentin Velkov (credit unkown photographer, image provided by Valentin Velkov).
During the coffee break (credit unkown photographer, image provided by Valentin Velkov).
Preparing for the group photo (credit unkown photographer, image provided by Valentin Velkov).
Preparing for the group photo (credit unkown photographer, image provided by Valentin Velkov).
The 1997 group photo : seated from l.to r.Vladimir Arnaudov, Lina Rashkova, Daniel Očenáš, Peter Zimnikoval, Dejan Milutinovic, Martina Vukasovic, Felix Bettonvil, Dragana Okolić, Jean-Marc Wislez, Marc Gyssens, Chris Trayner, Jürgen Rendtel, Valentin Grigore and Stefan Berinde. Standing from l.to r. Andrei Dorian Gheorge, Sonja Obradovic, Marko Andrejevic, Alastair McBeath, Mihaela Triglav, Joze Prudic, Tom Roelandts, Cis Verbeeck, Gentchev Galin, Katya Koleva, Ivelina Momcheva, Nogami Nagatoshi, Mina Zdravkovic, Marija Cajetinac, Nikola Bozinovic, Eva Bojurova, Nikola Biliskov, Goran Zgrablic, Gordana Tesic, Giovanni Roselli, Ana Milovanovic, Roberto Gorelli, Marija Vucelja, Valentin Velkov, Petra Rendtel, Sasa Nedeljkovic, Dubravko Potkrajac, Mirko Nitschke, Nikola Milutinovic, Nikola Bozic, Marija Kotur, Ivan Gradinorov, Nenad Bozinovic, Visnja Jankov, Sirko Molau, Jelena Milenkovic, Tamara Pavlovic, André Knöfel, Iris Miljacki, Rainer Arlt, Ana Bankovic, Srdjan Keca, Dalibor Nikolic and Adrian Negoescu (credit Valentin Grigore).
During the group photo (credit unkown photographer, image provided by Valentin Velkov).
During the group photo, at right Mihaela Triglav (credit unkown photographer, image provided by Valentin Velkov).
During the group photo (credit unkown photographer, image provided by Valentin Velkov).
An unofficial group photo during the excursion in front of an old nunnery. Seated from l.to r. Daniel Očenáš, Valentin Grigore, Katya Koleva, Stefan Berinde, Vladimir Arnaudov, ??, ??,??, ??, ??, ??, ??, Marc Gyssens, ?? (laying), ??, ??, ??, ??, ??, Eva Bozhurova, ??, Jürgen Rendtel and ??. Standing from l.to r. Galin Genchev, ??, Ivelina Momcheva, Valentin Velkov, Lina Rashkova, Peter Zimnikoval, Nagatoshi Nogami, Chris Trayner, Mirko Nitschke, Roberto Gorelli, Felix Bettonvil, Sirko Molau, Nikola Biliskov, ??, ??, André Knöfel, Giovani Roselli, Alastair McBeath, ?? Rainer Arlt, ??, ??, ??, Cristina Tinta, ??, ??, ??, ??, ??, ??,??, ??, ??, ??, ?? and ?? (credit unkown photographer, image provided by Valentin Velkov).
During the excursion in front of an old nunnery. From l.to r. ??, ??, two hidden persons, Marc Gyssens, Jean-Marc Wislez, Mirko Nitschke, ??, Tom Roelandts, Mihaela Triglav, Chris Trayner, Eva Bozhurova, ??, Ivelina Momcheva, Valentin Velkov and Nikola Biliskov (credit unkown photographer, image provided by Valentin Velkov).
During the unofficial group photo (credit unkown photographer, image provided by Valentin Velkov).
Andrei Dorian Gheorge with the first Romanian Astro Poetry show at an IMC (credit Valentin Grigore).