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RE: (meteorobs) The Annual Lampyridae Meteors
About confusing fireflies for meteors, Mark Fox asked:
>1. How confusing have they been to other fellow meteor
>hunters?
Not really too much for me anymore. They are usually much slower than meteors
(unless they are close and hense very bright, large, and obvious). Also, they
are always blue-green colored unless they are far away, and seldom have the
straight trails that meteors do. I do think that catching sight of one near
the corner of your FOV could fool a few observers, but the blue-green color
usually identifies it as a firefly, especially when it lights-up again shortly
thereafter. Meteors can be blue-green colored, but they look different. With
experience, fireflies and Iridium flares don't look like meteors do. However,
beginners should be aware that they can be a problem to novice meteor watchers
until they develop a feel for things with more experiance.
>2. Also, could they possibly be the source for "SOME"
>of the reported zigzagging meteors?
Probably, but I've never seen a zigzagging meteor in 40 years of observing!
GWG
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