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Re: (meteorobs) Plotting During Major Showers
>I second Wayne's request! Bob, GeoZay, Gliba, Norman, Mark... Any help?
Hi Guys, as there were many different questions/comments on this thread, I
will try to summarize my responses in this one posting....
Lew mentioned seeing 2 or more meteors and losing part of the data held in
the mind...I have never really kept track of it, but I guess on average I
can keep track of 2 (sometimes), more than that it becomes iffy. George made
a good point about recording only what you are certain of, count the rest as
sporadics. I try to restrict my mind-work to one meteor only if at all possible.
GWG mentioned learning plotting from AMS so wanted to let you know that is
where I began too. Also, you mentioned other astronomical pursuits as a
method of learning the sky. I agree they are a benefit, as I have been
active in those you mention too. I am also interested in how others such as
Bob developed their knowledge (which is greater than mine). I guess it's a
case of many different methods of exposure, plus many years under the meteors.
George Z. points out an excellent technique for those just learning the sky:
draw you some patterns on the charts. Use the constellation figures where
possible, but also try your hand at being Wil Tirion and draw you own lines
in. Everyone will see different patterns, the constellations are a good
starting point, but not the only one.
For many years, I used a straight edge to line the meteor's path to the sky.
This had the advantage of being useable to draw the straight line on the
chart with no curvature that George Z. mentions. But since I met George, he
suggested the cord technique which I now favor and suggest others try. It
has proven to be a little easier and quicker for me.
Finally, my technique is as follows:
Once a meteor appears I immediately line my cord to the sky, get its fix in
mind, and note all the other data I'll be recording without taking my eyes
off the sky. This I do as fast as possible. Note that this would make it
unlikely I could "beat" Bob to the chart with my pencil. (George, has this
been your experinece in the field with him on simultaneously observed meteors?)
I always observe with a tape recorder (but carry paper as back up), so I
next record the data (my sequence is: time (always UT), magnitude, type,
velocity, train (in increments of 0.5 seconds if present), and finally
comments. This is the exact same sequence I use when recording to tape my
visual counts...I have tried to implant this pattern into my brain.
So as you can see from what's been posted so far, there is some small
variety evident. Each person will probably fall into a pattern that is most
confortable to them. I do recommend trying to use the same pattern of
recording data for both plotting and counting though. Also, IMHO the rate at
which all the steps are done has a minor importance compared to how accurate
you do them (other than getting the fix on the sky). So if it takes 20
seconds or 75 seconds, do your best to record as accurate as you can.
Mark Davis