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(meteorobs) CALL FOR HELP! A talk on meteors...
A call for HELP! I'm giving a talk to my astronomy club on Friday, and in
the classic tradition of last-minute preparation, I'm just now thinking
exactly what I should say! I've been toying with the idea of talking about
(what little I know) about the orbital dynamics of meteoroid streams: I
already have a fan, and various sized pieces of paper (cut into the shape
of snowflakes to simulate comet ice), to illustrate mass-sorting. And I've
come up with some lovely black board drawings I can use to illustrate the
ellipticalization of meteoroid orbits due to perturbations.
But now, I'm beginning to have doubts: for one thing, I may not hold the
interest of my audience long with such a theoretical talk! For another, I
may have the reverse problem and run up against the limits of my own
understanding in the talk, or (worse yet) in the Q&A afterwards.
The other thing I've thought of talking about was simply the more "mundane"
topic of amateur meteor observing: how to do it, why it's useful, etc. If
done well, this might win over some converts, but ain't likely to win too
many awards for most jaw-dropping, cliff-hanging meeting-talk of the year...
So now I'm looking for help from the list. What do YOU think: should I talk
about the more exotic and theoretical stuff, and either wow them or look
like a darned fool; OR should I go for the more practical amateur topic,
and look like a (relative) expert, but maybe bore them all. (Just some
background: no one else at the club has yet evinced much interest in trying
meteor observing...)
Any concrete suggestions on exactly which topics to cover are also welcome.
ALL THOUGHTS APPRECIATED!
Last Minute Lew
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Karen Simmons & Lew Gramer lewkaren@tiacdot net http://www.tiacdot net/users/lewkaren
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