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The California Meteor Society |
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The California Meteor Society |
A NASA funded program at Ames Research Center aims to explore meteor outbursts, brief periods of enhanced meteor rates in the sky. These meteor outbursts are of relatively short duration and are often rich in bright meteors. They are significant enhancements of meteor rates over the normal meteor stream activity. These are spectacular events to watch, but you have to be on the right place at the right time. The picture shows a result from the 1995 Leonid outburst: a persistent train that lasted six minutes. This year, oportunities for Californian observers are with the Perseids in August and Leonids in November, and when Earth comes close to the orbit of compet 103P/Hartley 2 in the beginning of November.
To capture the meteor outburst, we employ photographic cameras at three sites in the hills surrounding the San Francisco Bay Area on specific dates when such outbursts are expected to occur. Observing sites are at Fremont Peak Observatory, Holler Observatory (near Lick Observatory) and at Bonny Doon in the Santa Cruz mountains. Each camera battery consists of twelve 35mm Cameras, most with 50mm f1.8 Lenses. A rotating shutter is used to determine the velocity of the meteor. Visual observers record the time of the meteor and it's approximate position. This information is needed to identify the meteors on the negatives and to do the triangulation for determining the trajectory of the meteoroid in the atmosphere and its orbit in space. Once the orbit for the meteor is found, an analysis can be done to determine the dynamics and evolution of these filaments of new particles.
If you are interested in observing meteor outbursts, then consider participating in our observing campaign, and watch one of nature's most impressive phenomena. This project needs the volunteer participation of a large number of visual observers to join us at the camera sites; people that watch the skies (with the naked eye) while the cameras are making time exposures. Your task is to write down the time of each bright meteor and plot its position between the stars. Other volunteer's can assist with photography and recording camera shutter opening and closing times. Each site needs 8 to 10 volunteers to get full sky coverage. The meteor observing will usually start at dusk and commence through the night until morning dawn. This is to allow for some uncertainty in the time of the peak.
It is possible also to contribute to the project from your own favorite observing spot. Meteor observers through out Northern California can contribute by recording meteor times and making plots on star charts. Meteor photographers can also join the network from other sites as long as the shutter opening and closing times are recorded to within 1 second and the camera is pointed towards the San Jose area. No tracking on the cameras is required.
Photographic/observing campaigns are planned for the nights of August 11/12, aimed at the Perseids, on November 1st/2nd and 2nd/3rd, aimed at the Beta-Cygnid shower, and on November 16th/17th on occasion of the Leonid shower.
Contact: Mike Koop
California Meteor Society Coordinator: Perseids 97
email: koopm@best.com
Phone: (408) 473-6315
Contact: Dr. Peter Jenniskens ,
The SETI Institute
NASA Ames Research Center
Mail Stop 239-4
Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000