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(meteorobs) Average Meteor Magnitude

Robert Lunsford wrote:

> George,
> This is a bit fainter than my results of +2.29 for the 20th and +2.46
> for the 21st.

Robert (and others),
    Concerning ORI average magnitude and average meteor magnitudes in general I
have several questions:
    I came up with an average magnitude for Orionid meteors of +2.21, for the
20th,  with a sample of 101 meteors.   Nice to see our average magnitude estimates
differing by a mere 0.08!   Looking back at my 1996 data, I had observed with Bob
on 2 nights. On Oct 21:  65 Orionids with avg mag = 2.88, and on Oct 22:  52
Orionids with avg mag = 2.46.  You (Bob) raised an interesting question.  Does the
average magnitude of a given shower  change systematically as a function time of
activity? Are there windows of time across the activity curve where there are
significant and visually noticable magnitude changes?   What would this say about
particle size distribution within the meteroid stream?  Have this ever been looked
at empirically?   In Dr Jenniskens (first?) Meteor Streams paper, he presented
activity curves for the well-known major and minor showers.  Couldn't simliar
graphs showing systamatic temporal changes in average magnitude be generated?

    Looking at Gary Kronk.'s Orionids page....on page 6 he gives a nice table of
average mag data going back to 1973 from a number of sources inlcuding both Bob
Lunsford and  Norm McLeod.  Between 1973-1984 average Orionid magnitude ranges
from 2.33-3.65.  Is this due more to differences in "subjective" estimates in
brightness or due to actual objective changes in particle and size distribution??

    Comments, questions, criticisms ???

Joseph
San Diego, CA





> Robert Lunsford wrote:
> Perhaps the average magnitude dims as we move past the date of maximum
> activity?
>
> Bob Lunsford
>
> Stop Light Pollution! wrote:
> >
> >    Of the 85 Orionid meteors that I saw in six hours, from 4:40 to 6:40 UT
> > on October 23/24, and 4:40 to 8:40 UT the next night, with a average LM=6.4,
> > the average Orionid was 2.8 magnitude. Also, one in four Orionids left a
> > visible train. As mentioned before, these observations were made at Davis,
> > West Virginia, USA.
> >
> > GWG
References: