[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
Re: (meteorobs) Re: stationary Perseid
Lew asked:
> How many stationaries have other experienced observers recorded, by the way?
It's not something I've kept a tally of as it wasn't especially
unusual, and I'm not one for keeping grand totals of hours observed
and meteors recorded. (Why do Americans like statistics so much,
and treat them as precise figures rather than an approximation to the
truth. I've noticed it in astronomy, e.g. person X has made his
100,000th variable-star estimate, as well as in sport).
Also it wasn't clear in many cases whether it was a meteor or some
long-period flashing satellite or optical counterparts to gamma-ray
bursters etc.. My strong feeling as a visual observer was that there
were too many to be all meteors, since there weren't the corresponding
number of very short, but not point meteors. A `guesstimate' frequency
is 1 per 500 meteors, but it could be way off. I'd have to look through
many thick volumes to do a count.
I've not seen a point meteor through a telescope.
Malcolm
References: