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(meteorobs) Re: grazers



Robert,

An earth grazer is a very long meteor that lasts for several seconds.
They usually appear low in the north or south but occasionally can pass
overhead. Those passing high in the sky are most spectacular. They
usually possess halos and a long (but short lasting) trail or wake
behind them. The key to seeing these meteors is to have a radiant very
low or actually slightly below the horizon. I believe most of these
meteors do actually disintegrate in the atmosphere. The reason they last
so long is that they are passing only through the upper portions of the
atmosphere where the air is much less dense.

I have seen Perseid earth grazers as soon as it gets dark on August 11.
The Geminids are also a good source of earth grazers around 6pm on
December 13. You must wait until 11pm (2300) on this coming Thursday and
Friday nights to see any Leonid earth grazers. 

My most impressive earth grazer was a brilliant orange -2 Leonid that
was seen on November 16, 1996 at 11:07 pm. Joseph Assmus and I were
lucky enough to see this Leonid shoot over the hill in the east and
continue for 5 full seconds as it passed high in the southeastern sky
and finally disappeared low in the southwest over the lights of San
Diego. The total length was 140-150 degrees. Most impressive!

Clear Skies!

Bob Lunsford



Robert Gardner wrote:
> 
> How do you know for sure that you have seen a grazer?  I assume that a
> grazer is a meteor that essentially skips back out of the atmosphere
> like a flat stone on the water.
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