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Re: (meteorobs) Single-station and Double-station



Tom

We will be trying meteor triangulation on the Geminids peak tomorrow
We are in Malta - and chose two localities and a projection point over 
which our cameras will be aimed.

Anyone else trying it?/

Alexei Pace
Malta Astronomical Society, MeteorGroup

At 11:34 AM 12/12/99 -0500, you wrote:
>At 09:56 PM 12/11/99 -0600, Tom wrote:
> >>>>
>I dont know what format your software is in and is probably over my head as
>it has been 30 years since I really applied my math but perhaps you could
>refer me to some elementary stuff along the lines of your reference to
>McKinley 1961 so that I might stretch my mind a bit.
>
>For all who read this. Is anyone currently attempting triangulation of
>meteor burns. Would it be of value or merely redundant. I would entertain
>the possibility of trying it with a collaborator if it would represent a
>useful contribution.
>
><<<<
>
>
>
>Good morning, Tom,
>
>The model that I am playing with currently resides in development form as a
>worksheet in the mathematical program called Maple.  it is not based upon
>double-station triangulation, but is instead based upon single-station
>equations commonly used in photographic or video work, such as in the
>video/computer systems developed by Pete Gural or Sirko Molau.  These
>systems use the two-dimensional meteor data from a single station to (1)
>obtain a shower identification match (for shower rate determinations), and
>then (2) extract further information about the detected meteor (such as
>light curve and meteor height information).  The second part of this
>technique has been around for many years in photographic work, but the
>recently developed clever bit is the replacement of a human shower match
>determination with a software shower match determination.    Obviously,
>there are limits to what can be done with a single-station set of
>information (two dimensional spherical positions and position rate of
>change), but these guys have stretched the technique to some new, very
>useful levels.
>
>As an exercise in meteor simulation, I have taken the above technique and
>worked it backwards -- beginning with a generated shower meteor having the
>proper atmospheric characteristics, determine how this will look to a
>single station on the ground.
>
>for true meteor position, velocity, and orbital information, a
>double-station setup is required.  This is all done either photographically
>or via video systems these days, and the most prolific at using this
>technique nowadays is the Dutch Meteor Society (DMS).  Attempting to do
>this from visual plots might be a fun exercise, but will not have enough
>accuracy to produce much in the way of scientifically useful results.  The
>one area where an orbital solution might be attempted from visual accounts
>is from a very bright fireball having no other instrument records beyond
>eyewitnesses.  This is, however, a time consuming, frustrating, and
>expensive exercise for those who undertake it -- although the easy and
>rapid reporting capability of the Internet has made at least initial
>assessments easier.
>
>Take care,
>
>      Jim
>
>
>
>James Richardson
>Department of Physics
>Florida State University (FSU)
>
>Operations Manager
>American Meteor Society (AMS)
>http://www.amsmeteors.org
>
>
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