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Re: (meteorobs) soul & science (was Re: plot describe count)
>But I'd say that what Mark's describing is NOT the process of learning to
>collect meteor data. I interpret it this way: go out under the stars and get a
>sense of whether you think meteor watching might even be FUN, and then, if
>you're really interested in it, start finding out how to do it in a useful
way.
>I have to agree with this advice: otherwise, any number of people who might
>well end up becoming GOOD observers, will never even get exposed to meteor
>observing in the first place. This is important to keep in mind.
You got what I was trying to say exactly right. I fear that if we try to get
a first-time observer to collect IMO quality data, we may lose that person.
They could be at the point of just trying to locate the Perseid radiant,
much less estimate LMs and magnitude. It's not necessary to create a new
top-notch observer overnight. Work on one step at a time, with the ultimate
goal of collecting quality data. If a first time observer went out and
attempted to collect all the data required for a visual count [IMO
definition ;)], wouldn't the data be suspect anyway?
Mark Davis