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(meteorobs) Observing Alignment Cords
Observing Alignment Cords:
I meant to bring this up earlier....maybe I did and just don't remember? I
know I've talked about it before at other places. I had a chat with Cathy Hall
privately about it a week or two ago. Anyhow, It's about the use of an
alignment cord. Basically it's nothing more than a two foot long parachute
cord with thumb loops tied in both ends. I keep my thumbs always in the loops
and ready to align with the trail of a meteor as soon as one is seen. This
aids in tracing the path of a meteor back to a potential radiant...or allowing
one to get it's fix amongst the stars so it can be plotted. Originally I
didn't think the color of the cord would matter. But a couple years ago, I've
noticed it does. I found that if your alignment cord is a dark color, black or
dark green etc, it's easier to see against the night sky. White cords are more
difficult to notice as a line in the sky and thus also difficult to note just
where the meteor's path traversed. I started out with white cords thinking
that would be the better. I just happened to have some dark parachute cord on
hand that I made extra alignment cords out of. This is when I discovered that
a dark cord is more useful in lining up with a meteor's path.
GeoZay
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