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Re: (meteorobs) Meteor Elevation Estimates

Hi Guys,

Thanks to all of you for getting a REAL meteor discussion going on,
something missing of late! ;)

Everyone has made good and valid points on this discussion. I tend to side
with the 'camp' that believes this is a question best left to the experience
of the observer. Sure, veteran observers can add another item to record, but
a first time observer would be better off noting only the very basics. Once
Wayne gets 'em hooked, then add the other data items. :-)  They will be more
receptive to adding the items once they become "serious' about observing.
This procedure should not cause a problem with monitoring minor showers, as
beginners normally concentrate on the major ones anyway.

I am hesitant of tales of finding or discovering new showers. Perhaps
"unusual" or "enhanced" activity, but to confirm a "new" shower requires
more than one observer and more than one year. A lot of plotting will have
to be done to expose the shower from the background....(a very interesting
project to pursue).

Anyway, this is my one cent worth [since some of this was already stated :)
]. I really just wanted to write the words "meteor shower"....... ;->>

Mark Davis
ALPO/IMO/NAMN

At 04:12 PM 5/21/97 -0400, you wrote:
>Thanks, George! Like the esteemed Mr. Zay makes clear, beginning observers
>should be out there under the sky first of all to have FUN, and also so
>that they can learn how to record meteor data for useful scientific
>analysis later! Finding your very OWN meteor shower during your first few
>nights (or years) is NOT something a new observer should count on doing!
>That would be sort of like, well, finding a comet on your first try... ;>>>
>
>Of course, George also makes the point that figuring out whether a meteor
>BELONGS to a particular shower or not depends partly on the observer having
>an idea of that meteor's relative angular speed: if a meteor is too fast or
>too slow for a particular shower, it shouldn't be noted as a member! But
>this is part of the trick of making shower identification, and may not be
>completely conscious the way making a particular speed notation for the
>meteor would be. George suggests a system for making speed notations which
>he bases shower ID on, but I'll let him tell folks about that himself...
>
>Finally, this is just my UNOFFICIAL $0.02 for all those "lurkers" out there
>who are really interested in getting into meteor watching this Summer!
>
>Take care, and get out under the stars!
>Lew
>
>At 03:21 PM 5/21/97 -0400, you wrote:
>>If you are doing minor showers...meteor speed becomes very important.
>>Also if you are going to claim new shower discoveries...you should at least
>>learn how to plot and do it routinely. You will notice that often impressions
>>of what you see are different from what you plot. This could reduce the
>>clutter of erroneous shower radiants in the long run.
>>George Zay
>
>