[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
Re: (meteorobs) Parallel trains
At 12:25 PM 9/16/97 +0100, you wrote:
>I've seen hollow trains through the telescope. These gradually expand
>and fade. Due to projection effects, such trains can appear to consist
>of a parallel pair of trains.
Of course, the "Ring Nebula effect"! :)
Interesting now that I think of it, though: I knew that the train was
generally cylindrical when it was formed (being mainly a cloud of ionized
atmospheric gas around the meteoroid's burn trail). So I would expect this
hollow cylinder to "fill in" pretty fast as the ionized gases mixed and
dispersed: and it wouldn't always fill in EVENLY either, depending on wind
sheers, etc.
This would be a likely explanation (depending on prevailing air currents)
for all kinds of apparent kinks, twists, rejoinings, etc. in "parallel
trains"... The only things this would NOT explain would be trains with
three or more "parallels". So I'll ask: has anybody seen one of these
"multi-trains"?
Thanks for the note, Malcolm!
Lew
Follow-Ups: