[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
(meteorobs) Moonlight and the IMO method (was Re: Note on Observing Technique...)
"Newbie" Dustin Brown:
>1 Other than during the Leonids, does anyone observe/record November
>sporadic rates during a 63% (or more) illuminated moon in the AM sky?
>2 If so, does this earlier data still leave a concern about the current
>low reports of sporadics during this moon mucked event?
Actually, Dustin, those are some mighty tricky questions for someone who claims
to be a "newbie"... You're not a meteor ringer, are you? Just kidding! :)
Seriously, though, the effects of moonlight on meteor rate corrections are an
area of some research - and therefore, it seems, of some disagreement among the
international meteor community. And current observing guidelines (which state
that moonlit observations are only acceptable or of use during the major shower
peaks), leave us in the uneviable situation of having little data to go on!
It seems too MUCH standardization in observing technique - especially standards
which are based on some assumptions inherent in current research - can sometimes
(though thankfully not often) lead to data which is HARDER to interpret...
I think in this case, one thing that may have contributed to uncertainty as well
was too LITTLE standardization in one aspect of observing - in particular, the
direction faced by observers. Because of this lack of standardization, many
observers decided to face the radiant - and therefore the moon - while others
chose to face elsewhere explicitly to AVOID the moon. The result were as Marc
Gyssens and Rainer Arlt noted, fairly big variations in IMO ZHRs - in effect,
an exacerbation of the uncertainty surrounding the effects of moonlight.
I know there were some papers published in WGN some years back - I believe by
some Russian researchers - which specifically addressed ways of correcting for
moonlight distinct from its effect on LM. Does anyone have current references on
this research - or is it something which IMO's (already overworked) analysis
team is considering including in final analysis of this year's Leonids?
Clear skies,
Lew Gramer (GRALE)
To UNSUBSCRIBE from the 'meteorobs' email list, use the Web form at:
http://www.tiacdot net/users/lewkaren/meteorobs/subscribe.html
Follow-Ups:
References: