(meteorobs) Update on Meteor Electrostatic Detection.

[stange34 at sbcglobal.net]

It is more than a suspicion and now appears to be a certainty. Electrometers can detect meteors among other things. This is predicated on small point "bursts of light" on the 12" monitor are likely to be meteors.

Thru a break in the rain and low clouds which are on-going here, I continued to view the monitor and the Fair Weather Field Electrostatic devices. Light bursts in the atmosphere continued to be recorded as deep pulses by the Fair Weather Electrostatic device.

The Sentinel camera system was then activated and put on a slightly higher sensitivity level than I normally use to avoid false triggering. 

1) A period of wait began until I (clearly & destinctly) saw a bright burst of light about 40 degress above the horizon and North-East. It was only momentary.

2) The Sentinel camera saw it and went directly to that part of the sky where the burst was at. Finding nothing in motion, it searched for a bit and gave up after recording it as an event.

3) The Electrostatic device(Moving Charge) saw it and sent a deep pulse to the data logger at this same time.

This is reasonable evidence for Meteor Electrostatic detection.

---There have been no meteor swarms, fireballs, or opportunities to do extended sky monitoring with this electrostatic equipment  due to weather and its only (recent) installation.   

I believe at this point, that pulse depth will prove to be related to meteor size or brightness, and pulse width will relate to the meteors travel period or persistant trail length.

Have placed a system block diagram on website to illustrate isolation of the equipement. Only earth grounding is shared by all of it. AC is isolated by transformers.

 http://geocities.com/stange34@sbcglobal.net/YCBD 

Larry
YC Sentinel