(meteorobs) Good Geminids- plus VLF experiment - New Mexico

[Thomas Ashcraft]

December 14, 2008

I am pleased to report that the clouds held back for the most part last 
night and there were many Geminid meteors and fireballs.
I posted a preliminary web page with a few of the better fireballs with 
movies of their forward scatter reflections:
.
http://www.heliotown.com/Geminids_2008_Ashcraft.html
.

I also conducted an experiment to watch and listen for any direct 
fireball radio emission at VLF ( very low frequencies) using a McGreevy 
WR-3e radio and recording into a Sony minidisc recorder.  I listened in 
two sessions for one hour each period.  Unfortunately, while I was 
monitoring via VLF there were no large fireballs, just 0 magnitude 
meteors and smaller. I could discern no distinct emission from the many 
smaller meteors that I witnessed.  But....... I regret missing the times 
of the larger fireballs that happened overhead that I was able to video 
and catch by forward scatter means as posted on the web page above.  I 
can also report a stiff neck this morning from intense sky gazing at the 
zenith.

Clear skies,
Thomas Ashcraft
New Mexico