Mid 19th century minimum of Galactic cosmic ray flux inferred from 44Ti in Allegan meteorite

Measurements of 44Ti activity in meteorites show that the galactic cosmic ray (GCR) intensity has been declining in the interplanetary space during the past three centuries and has a component of cyclic variation, with periodicity of about 87 years [Taricco, C., Bhandari, N., Cane, D., et al. Galactic cosmic ray flux decline and periodicities in the interplanetary space during the last 3 centuries revealed by 44Ti in meteorites, J. Geophys. Res. 111, A08102, 2006]. In order to verify these results, we have measured 44Ti activity in Allegan meteorite which fell in 1899 and in some other meteorites with better precision. The measurements confirm low cosmic ray flux and consequently high solar activity near the middle of 19th century.