Meteor Astronomy

the branch of astronomy studying the structure, origin, and evolution of meteoric material in inter-planetary space. Investigation of the structure and motion of meteoric material is conducted by means of optical and radar observations of meteors, observations of the zodiacal light, the recording of meteorite impacts with the help of sensors on artificial earth satellites and space probes, and the study of the motion of meteor showers by the methods of celestial mechanics. Research in meteor astronomy is conducted in the USSR at Moscow, Dushanbe, Kiev, Odessa, Kharkov, and Kazan; abroad it is conducted in the USA (at the Harvard and Smithsonian observatories), Czechoslovakia, Great Britain, and Australia.

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Describing the observing project into which Prentice had recruited Alcock, Dr Mason explained that one of the most interesting outstanding unknowns of meteor astronomy in the early 1930s was the height within the atmosphere at which meteors tended to burn up.

Ordinary meeting, 2009 December 12: held at the Royal Astronomical Society, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London WI

Mr Lashley will be presenting a talk on meteor astronomy.

Star turn at astronomy event

org/), an electronic mailing list dedicated to meteor astronomy and observing.

New meteor shower from Taurus?

The ZHR is the bread and butter of meteor astronomy, a crucial parameter for studying long-term changes in the shower's strength and for ranking it among other showers.

Perseid prospects for 2001

Peter Jenniskens calls the 1999 Leonids a watershed event for meteor astronomy, likening it to the way Comet Halley provided a breakthrough in comet studies in 1986.

Looking Back, Looking Ahead: Will the Leonid Storms Continue? Last November's Leonid meteor shower was the greatest since 1966. Yet there's a chance it could be outdone in November 2001 and 2002 -- or possibly even this year, depending on whose predictions prove right

While the shower of November 12, 1833, sparked the beginning of serious meteor astronomy, it was neither the beginning nor the end of Leonid history.