(meteorobs) October 30th 2012 Fireball Over Southern Mid-West USA

[Jay Salsburg]

Hello Chris

This is why I am experimenting, to nail down what is and is not acceptable.
There needs to be White Papers on all this work and development in a
Dedicated Web Site Clearinghouse for just such Information like you mention
below. My main effort is to create a device for entry-level Observers so
they can report what they see and perhaps record it, not so much for strict
Scientific measurement for subsequent publication. I may do this later;
upgrade the Observatory to do this, if I can afford it, but as you know, the
Camera and Lens are expensive. Think of this low cost device for Amateur
Astronomers who buy their first low cost Telescope, it is for the
uninitiated, those who will spend more money later when they get Meteors and
Astronomy in their blood. Many levels of development are yet underdone,
there is a need for serious Software that does the job of automating
detection and storage of the processed results in the CLOUD. If you know of
any Software like this please share.

-----Original Message-----
From: meteorobs-bounces at meteorobs.org
[mailto:meteorobs-bounces at meteorobs.org] On Behalf Of Chris Peterson
Sent: Thursday, November 01, 2012 12:01 AM
To: Meteor science and meteor observing
Subject: Re: (meteorobs) October 30th 2012 Fireball Over Southern Mid-West
USA

I believe that the practical difference between the HAD and HAD II sensor is
pretty insignificant for meteor work. Avoiding color sensors is critical,
however, if the goal is to detect faint meteors and not just fireballs. At
30 fps, sensitivity is largely determined by readout noise, not quantum
efficiency. At best, the HAD II offers a couple dB improvement in
sensitivity at normal video frame rates. To achieve the maximum sensitivity
requires longer integration times, on the order of a second or two. Many
security cameras offer this (called sense-up, or other names), but the
feature is not desirable for meteor work, as you lose timing information and
the increased sky background actually results in lower sensitivity to
meteors than you see at 30 fps.

Sensors with significantly lower readout noise may prove useful for meteor
work, but the biggest immediate improvement comes from getting rid of the
analog video interface completely. Not only does that interface typically
reduce the dynamic range it's possible to capture from the sensor, but the
digitization process introduces _significant_ geometric errors, which limit
the accuracy of calculated centroids, both of astrometric references, and
most seriously, of meteors. 
Unfortunately, I'm not aware of any inexpensive low-light cameras using HAD
sensors which incorporate digital interfaces (USB/Firewire/Ethernet). When I
find one, though, it will quickly find its way into one of my meteor
cameras!

Chris

*******************************
Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com

On 10/31/2012 10:26 PM, Jay Salsburg wrote:
> Hello Jim
>
> Thank you for your inquiry.
>
> I have been performing research on a camera with all new technology 
> that I tested in my driveway and successfully observed meteors in its 
> video. Since I do not have the money to buy every camera that seems a 
> candidate for a Meteor Observatory, I spent many weeks investigating 
> alternatives based on published specifications. I found a Camera for 
> less than $200 employing the new Sony "Super HAD CCD II" Sensor that 
> sees better than I in the dark and in Color (see link below). I will 
> publish details of my design after testing it on a high mast if it is 
> fit for the task of recording video of Meteors, which I should be able 
> to do soon. I just finished creating a reliable Enclosure. There are 
> finishing touches yet to install in and on the enclosure like heater
resistors, a fan, Connectors, and a Mast Mount.
>
> http://www.sony.net/Products/SC-HP/cx_news/vol52/pdf/featuring52.pdf

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