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(meteorobs) Meteor "Speeds"
Hello Folks:
We are fairly new to the list, having joined just a few days before
the Leonids peak (and only a day or two before the Nov. 16 fireball,
which I saw here in southern Ontario). We have been enjoying the
variety of postings and thoughts on all things related to meteors,
fireballs, bolides, etc., and I (Mike speaking) have an interest in
meteor showers from a radio listener's point of view.
While I am a licensed amateur radio operator, my first loves were AM
(mediumwave) listening, then I progressed to shortwave listening, and
later also delved into FM and TV DXing as well (DXing = listening for
"distant" signals). The past few meteor showers I have been DXing the
FM broadcast band by "sitting on" an open frequency and listening for
reception of signals from far away, and was finally rewarded on Dec.13
with a signal from 104.9 WHTK in Havana, FL (near Tallahassee).
From what I have read in recent years, the slower moving meteors
take longer to burn up in the atmosphere, thus leaving a longer trail of
ionization with which to reflect radio signals; I also understand that
these trails take longer to dissipate, and therefore a signal that is
reflected would last longer before it faded too. So, my question is
this: does anyone know of a site (or have the info?) that lists the
average speeds of the various meteor showers? I think I saw that the
Geminids are one of the slowest moving meteors, and I would believe
that, because I had many reflections whose signal lasted up to about 15
seconds (whereas all I heard from the Perseids were mostly brief 1-2
second pings, and rarely a 3-5 second burst of music or talk).
Any help or insights into this query are appreciated, and we'll
beout there watching for Quadrantids (although I hear they are very
speedy little monsters!)
Clear skies!
Mike Csorbay & Debbie Kinloch
York, Ontario, CANADA.
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