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(meteorobs) Notification of possible showers



Re: Notification of new radiants.

I believe advanced warning of a possible shower/radiant is better. 
First of all, it alerts me to an event which I may not otherwise go 
see. It provides an impetus for me to go out and observe. For 
example, last Sunday night, had I not known about the eta Lyrids, I 
probably would not have even bothered to try 1 hr Teff during bright 
moonlight and no significant showers, rather spend more time 
observing variables or comets through my scope. But I made the 
plan, and I logged 12 more meteors in the cumulative database of 
observations, all due to the eta Lyrids discussions.
Secondly, I dont think the knowledge of a potential radiant biases 
me at all. If I see a meteor, I log it. If I dont, I dont. It just affects the 
'bin' I put it into. Without a potential radiant, they all go into the 
SPO heap.
Of course, plotting would allow posteriori analysis, but how many 
observers always plot?

Cast one vote in favor of knowledge.

Mike Linnolt

P.S. I still believe that single one I saw last Nov. was a LINEARID, 
not SPO.


On 16 May 2000, at 17:05, Lew Gramer wrote:

> 
> John, thanks for posting the info regarding this potential shower parent body.
> 
> As a general rule, I wonder if it makes sense though, to predict a priori what
> bodies may produce observable streams? The brouhaha about the "LINEARids" was
> such a case - where, I felt, it might have been better to condust a posteriori
> searches through the database of unbiased observations for that period, rather
> than prejudicing observers to detect something beforehand.
> 
> I don't know for sure this approach would have been best - I merely suggest it
> with the hope of stirring some informed conversation on this topic... What do
> other members of this list think on this subject?
> 
> Lew Gramer

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