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Re: (meteorobs) Telescopic Meteors (was Re: January Coma Berenicids...)
Thanks Lew for pre-empting me.
> Dustin, based on what IMO Telescopic Commissioner Malcolm Currie has told me in
> the past in similar situations, I recommend that you consider the following:
>
> 2) If you're determined to try telescopic observing (which I encourage all
> meteor observers to try at some point!), then keep in mind that the best
Please... please. (-:
> way to make use of the telescope IS by plotting what you see: if you are
Plotting is the raison d'etre for telescopic observing. Measuring
fluxes of faint meteors is possible only if we had many regular
observers.
> 3) If you are not experienced at meteor plotting but you still wish to
> try pointing your telescope or binoculars at the sky, I would actually
> suggest that you use your 35mm binocs IF they are mounted. I'm not sure
> I agree that you'll see MORE meteors that way - but then again you may,
> simply because whatever meteors you do see will on average appear to be
> slower than they would appear in a telescope at higher magnification.
Telescopic rates tend to be about 50% to 80% of visual rates for
experienced observers. This goes down in major showers which have
relatively few faint meteors, such as the Perseids.
> if you want to be sure of seeing some activity. So again no matter what
> instrument you choose to observe with, be sure it is one you can use in
> a very comfortable position, and one you do not have to hold in your
> hands throughout the time you are watching (in other words, mounted)!
This is PARAMOUNT.
> Finally, do please keep in mind that if you observe this way (using the
> scope or binocs and "just counting"), your observations will probably
> NOT contribute substantially to our knowledge about these showers - as
> I am not aware of any analytical methods currently available to allow
> good scientific use to be made of "Telescopic Meteor Counts". Still,
> this is one way to get started with telescopic observing, so if you
> might enjoy doing this, then go ahead and try it anyway! :)
My suggested route is:
a) Visual counts, learning the constellations and basic meteor
observation, including estimating the limiting magnitude.
b) After becoming proficient at a), try visual plotting when there is no
major shower active.
c) If you're happy plotting, then try telescopic. Telescopic observing
is demanding, requiring good concentration, and patience to start.
Rates start slowly but increase with experience. It took me several
false starts to get going. Now I have a set up where I can observe
comfortably for many hours.
> 4) Finally, if none of (1), (2) or (3) above apply to you, and you really
> wish to apply your plotting skills to the field of telescopic meteors, I
> suggest contacting either myself or Malcolm Currie directly, and we will
> provide you with whatever information you might need for this.
The NAMN observing Guide has a chapter on telescopic observing.
http://Web.InfoAvedot net/~meteorobs/guidechap4.html.
There are some online notes on the observing method at
http://www.jach.hawaiidot edu/~mjc/imo/tele/tmform.html
destined for the IMO pages once tidied and some additions made. There
are other pages in various states of editing, adapted from the
other Commissions' pages (for a consistency of style) that might be of
use. The index is at
http://www.jach.hawaiidot edu/~mjc/imo/tele/tmintro.html
in particular the Introduction and the first two sections of the
"Literature" and "Observation Techniques".
I really must take a week's leave and knock these into shape and add
some others for a first release. Most of the material required exists.
Much was used for a PowerPoint talk I assembled for Lew at an AMS
gathering.
Malcolm
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