(meteorobs) Meteor Magnitude - Along Path or Terminal Burst?

[Rainer Arlt]

Bill,

> I am just wondering, for a meteor with a medium to
> long path that ends in a brighter flash, should the
> magnitude of the meteor "in flight" or the magnitude
> of the final flash be recorded as the meteor's

Within the IMO, it is recommended to record the
maximum brightness. It may give a crude indication
for the mass of the particle entering the atmosphere.
Better would be the integrated energy release along
the path, but I fear a visual estimate isn't ter-
ribly accurate with that respect...

Best wishes,
Rainer


-- 
Rainer Arlt  --  Astrophysikalisches Institut Potsdam -- www.aip.de
Visual Commission - International Meteor Organization -- www.imo.net
rarlt at aip.de --  phone: +49-331-7499-354  --  fax: +49-331-7499-526