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Re: (meteorobs) Re: Statistics & Stationary Meteors
>One stationary meteor in 500 is much more than what I see. As an
>observer who faces the radiant in most cases it would seem logical
>that I would tend to see a higher percentage of stationary events
>(at least for shower meteors). An observer who would have this high
>of a percentage is probably including "flashing satellites"
>that look much like stationary meteors.
Bob, logically you might think facing the radiant would cause you to
see more VERY SHORT meteors as well as more stationary shower meteors.
And so can it also cause you to be better at distinguishing the two?
BTW, how is it you manage to distinguish flashing satellites so well
from stationary meteors? I see a fair number of both (say as many as
one of each every 2 or 3 nights' observing), and generally record it
as a meteor if and only if:
1) I watch that general area of sky for a little while after,
and notice no additional "flashes"; *OR*
2) I see a slight hint of motion which is clearly faster than
a normal satellite's, but I can get no definite impression
of trail direction from the event afterward. (This is more
common with meteors seen 20 or 30 degs from Center of FOV.)
I also discard any "stationary meteors" I happen to "see" while I am
just laying my head back after a plot or break. Note that these are
also the same criteria I use to distinguish star scintillations from
stationary meteors on nights of very bad seeing - so common up here!
Is there something more I should be watching out for? Or is this
another case of "I don't see it, so it probably doesn't exist"? ;>
Thanks,
Lew
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