Meteor Counting

[adrenalynn]

<p>I'm working on a new toy.&nbsp; I had a look at MCOP for the Palm platform.&nbsp; It appears that all it permits you to do is enter your location, sky condition, and overall notes, then simply click a button for counts.&nbsp; No logging of the magnitude estimate that I see.&nbsp; [None in the docs either]</p><p>Is this sufficient?&nbsp; It's a NASA-sponsored application...</p><p>What functionality (not user interface, but rather <em>functionality</em>) would you like to have in a meteor counting device?</p><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>.</p><p><font size="3">bipartisan</font>  (<span style="color:blue" class="pointer"><span class="pron"><font face="Lucida Sans Unicode" size="2">bī-pär'tĭ-zən, -sən</font></span></span>) [Adj.]  Maintaining the ability to blame republications when your stimulus plan proves to be a devastating failure.</p><p><strong><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#ff0000">IMPE</font><font color="#c0c0c0">ACH</font> <font color="#0000ff"><font color="#c0c0c0">O</font>BAMA</font>!</font></strong></p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I'm working on a new toy.&nbsp; I had a look at MCOP for the Palm platform.&nbsp; It appears that all it permits you to do is enter your location, sky condition, and overall notes, then simply click a button for counts.&nbsp; No logging of the magnitude estimate that I see.&nbsp; [None in the docs either]Is this sufficient?&nbsp; It's a NASA-sponsored application...What functionality (not user interface, but rather functionality) would you like to have in a meteor counting device?&nbsp; <br />Posted by adrenalynn</DIV><br /><br />Well, it's not really sufficient for detailed analysis and calculation of a Zenithal Hourly Rate, the standard measure of meteor shower intensity.</p><p>Three&nbsp;crucial pieces of infomation are missing, two&nbsp;relating to magnitude. One is an estimate of the limiting magnitude of the sky (faintest stars that can be observed) and the other is the magnitude of the individual meteors. This is required in order to calculate the population index ("r") which is the ratio of meteors from one magnitude&nbsp;bin to the next for a particular shower. This has a large effect in determining how many meteors can be seen relative to the sky conditions.</p><p>I have noted that NASA likes to use this method, but it does not allow detailed analysis, as raw counts do not provide sufficient information.</p><p>The other piece is how many meteors belong to each meteor shower. On any given night there are from 2 to 10 active showers. Most meteor observers concentrate on the top 3 or 4, which is sufficient in most cases. I of course, being the a-r observer I am, count (or plot) all active showers I am aware of, but after the top 4 or so the effects are quite minimal.</p><p>Wayne</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[Aaupaaq]

<p>Good morning Wayne.&nbsp; I am wondering, where in the universe does the asteroids come from?&nbsp; I suspect that they are the result of gravity.&nbsp; They might be a clump of pile of rocks, being made possible by gravity.&nbsp; I think this because I have heard there are like 68 space rocks being orbited by a smaller rock!&nbsp; Gas molecules, dust, etc. etc.....&nbsp; Anyways, if this thread is not the place to post, then I shall go look for the appointed one!&nbsp; Thanks. </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> We always walked on water, like skating! </div>

 

[adrenalynn]

<p>Would you be willing to exchange a couple emails, and I can detail what I'm putting together, get some input?&nbsp; I have some old confirm messages from you, but they're filtered from your end @ ec*.&nbsp; Mine's jodier }at{ &jlrdesigns&dot com</p><p>Thanks for your input too!&nbsp; This no PM stuff stinks.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>.</p><p><font size="3">bipartisan</font>  (<span style="color:blue" class="pointer"><span class="pron"><font face="Lucida Sans Unicode" size="2">bī-pär'tĭ-zən, -sən</font></span></span>) [Adj.]  Maintaining the ability to blame republications when your stimulus plan proves to be a devastating failure.</p><p><strong><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#ff0000">IMPE</font><font color="#c0c0c0">ACH</font> <font color="#0000ff"><font color="#c0c0c0">O</font>BAMA</font>!</font></strong></p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Would you be willing to exchange a couple emails, and I can detail what I'm putting together, get some input?&nbsp; I have some old confirm messages from you, but they're filtered from your end @ ec*.&nbsp; Mine's jodier }at{ &jlrdesigns&dot comThanks for your input too!&nbsp; This no PM stuff stinks. <br />Posted by adrenalynn</DIV><br /><br />I sent you an e-mail, hope I got the address right. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[adrenalynn]

<p>Recvd, and responded just now.&nbsp; Thanks!</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Any other meteor counters wanna weigh-in?</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>.</p><p><font size="3">bipartisan</font>  (<span style="color:blue" class="pointer"><span class="pron"><font face="Lucida Sans Unicode" size="2">bī-pär'tĭ-zən, -sən</font></span></span>) [Adj.]  Maintaining the ability to blame republications when your stimulus plan proves to be a devastating failure.</p><p><strong><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#ff0000">IMPE</font><font color="#c0c0c0">ACH</font> <font color="#0000ff"><font color="#c0c0c0">O</font>BAMA</font>!</font></strong></p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Recvd, and responded just now.&nbsp; Thanks!&nbsp;Any other meteor counters wanna weigh-in? <br />Posted by adrenalynn</DIV><br /><br />Don't think there are any others here. I keep trying to recruit some though.... <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[adrenalynn]

<p>Maybe it just takes the right tools.&nbsp; </p><p>&nbsp;I'm always torn betwixt logging and photographing.&nbsp; I know the first probably has substantially more value to science, but the second has substantially more value to my emotional state, which is probably advantageous to the continued survival of humanity in general. </p><p>I just don't know that I could be effective at both, although I'm getting closer to it all the time as my photography skills have developed, I have more and more time to look at the sky.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>.</p><p><font size="3">bipartisan</font>  (<span style="color:blue" class="pointer"><span class="pron"><font face="Lucida Sans Unicode" size="2">bī-pär'tĭ-zən, -sən</font></span></span>) [Adj.]  Maintaining the ability to blame republications when your stimulus plan proves to be a devastating failure.</p><p><strong><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#ff0000">IMPE</font><font color="#c0c0c0">ACH</font> <font color="#0000ff"><font color="#c0c0c0">O</font>BAMA</font>!</font></strong></p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Maybe it just takes the right tools.&nbsp; &nbsp;I'm always torn betwixt logging and photographing.&nbsp; I know the first probably has substantially more value to science, but the second has substantially more value to my emotional state, which is probably advantageous to the continued survival of humanity in general. I just don't know that I could be effective at both, although I'm getting closer to it all the time as my photography skills have developed, I have more and more time to look at the sky. <br />Posted by adrenalynn</DIV><br /><br />I know folks who do both. As long as you document the time when you are doing photography related stuff so that is not included in your Teff (Effective Viual Observing time) you can still get good data. You have to subtract any breaks, plotting time, or any other time when your eyes aren't on the sky anyway.</p><p>For me, I find it too distracting, I'd rather just concentrate on using the skills I've spent&nbsp;a dozen years refining. Besides, we now have an all-sky video system that sits about 20 feet away from where I observe, so we have full simultaneous observations. Pretty interesting comparing the two methods, I'm crunching the Quadrantid data this week. We also just started up an experimental radio system as well, but it's in the alpha testing phase </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>