(meteorobs) Binocular meteors

[Malcolm J. Currie]

>   ... what percentage (if any) of these faint telescopic meteors on any
> given clear, moonless night at a dark sky location, would be low (or
> any) orbit mini satellites? - how fast would they whiz through a 6 or
> 2.3 d binocular fov? as fast as a faint meteor? - often thought that
> some of them must be satellites I guess - I did read somewhere there
> are thousands up there?.

The vast majoriy of telescopic meteors will zip through the field, and
move much faster than satellites.  Even the slowest (and the
zeta-Aurigids of early Decemeber are the slowest I've seen) are still
faster than the obvious satellites.  Satellites will traverse the field
of view, whereas slow-moving meteors tend to have visible star-end
points, say because they're observed close the the radiant and hence are
foreshortened.  There must be a point where the two classes overlap, but
it is a at very low angular speed where we believe there are few meteors
with long paths, and therefore it's not a problem in practice.

Satellite pundits feel free to chip in here with the maximum angular
velocities.

Malcolm Currie