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(meteorobs) Re: query on sporadic meteors
Michael,
Wayne did a fine job of answering your questions but I would like to add
my 2 cents worth.
Michael Mattiazzo wrote:
> This is my first query post.
>
> What is the definition of a sporadic meteor?
>
> Does it mean that the meteor observer cannot associate it with any > known meteor streams?
You are right on the money here!
> But aren't all sporadic meteors associated with meteor streams > (whether known or unknown to the observer)?
>
This is probably true at one time or another but streams disperse after
time and become unrecognizable to the observer. The old dispersed
streams cannot be labeled as a separate shower as the activity would be
much too low. Besides you would have random radiants all over the sky
producing rates of one meteor per night. It is better to label these as
sporadic and then compare plots from one night to another or from one
year to another. If you come across any similarities then you have
something to investigate!
> If I observe 2 sporadics radiating from the same point in the sky > during a 1 hour interval, can I assume that they are related to an as > yet unrecognised stream?
The odds would be against these two meteors being related. On average a
area in the sky will produce 1 meteor per hour. This has been
demonstrated through the use of fabricated radiants. If you saw 2
sporadics radiating from the same point in the sky during a 1 hour
interval the odds are the next hour would produce nothing at all. You
would need a longer observing period with continued activity before
proposing that a new shower was actually taking place.
> If I observe 6 sporadics in an hour, is this count too high?
Not at all! Any night of the year is capable of producing 6 sporadics an
hour especially if you watch from a site free of light pollution.
I hope this helps!
Robert Lunsford
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