The observation of extensive air showers from an Earth-orbiting satellite

We review the main issues that are relevant for the observation of extensive air showers from an Earth-orbiting satellite. Extensive air showers are produced by the interaction of ultra-high energy cosmic particles with the atmosphere and can be observed by an orbiting telescope detecting the air scintillation light.We provide the main analytical formulas and semi-analytical results needed to optimize the design of a suitable telescope and estimate the best-expected performance and the minimal necessary requirements for the observation.While we have in mind an EUSO-like general-purpose experiment, the results presented in this paper are useful for any kind of space-based experiment.     

Seismic detections of the 15 February 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor from the dense ChinArray

Chin Array is a dense portable broadband seismic network to cover the entire continental China, and the Phase I is deployed along the north-south seismic belt in southwest China. In this study, we analyze seismic data recorded on the Chin Array following the February 15,2013 Chelyabinsk(Russia) meteor. This was the largest known object entering the Earth's atmosphere since the1908 Tunguska meteor. The seismic energy radiated from this event was recorded by seismic stations worldwide including the dense Chin Array that are more than 4000 km away. The weak signal from the meteor event was contaminated by a magnitude 5.8 Tonga earthquake occurred *20 min earlier. To test the feasibility of detecting the weak seismic signals from the meteor event, we compute vespagram and perform F-K analysis to the surface-wave data. We identify a seismic phase with back azimuth(BAZ) of 329.7° and slowness of 34.73 s/deg, corresponding to the surface wave from the Russian meteor event(BAZ *325.97°). The surface magnitude(MS) of the meteor event is 3.94 ± 0.18. We also perform similar analysis on the data from the broadband array F-net in Japan, and find the BAZ of the surface waves to be316.61°. With the different BAZs of Chin Array and F-net,we locate the Russian meteor event at 58.80°N, 58.72°E.The relatively large mislocation(*438 km as compared with 55.15°N, 61.41°E by others) may be a result of thebending propagation path of surface waves, which deviates from the great circle path. Our results suggest that the dense Chin Array and its subarrays could be used to detect weak signals at teleseismic distances.     

Current Status of the Photographic Meteoroid Orbits Database and a Call for Contributions to a New Version

A central depository for meteor orbits obtained by photographic techniques, as a part of the IAU Meteor Data Center, was moved to the Astronomical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava in 2001. The current version of the catalogue contains data on 4581 meteor orbits obtained by 17 different stations or groups from the period 1936 to 1996. Since 1996 a few huge campaigns were organised including very successful Leonids and Perseids. That is why we would prepare a new more complete version of the database. The main aim of this paper is a call to the observers of meteors having new or recalculated/remeasured data on photographic meteors to send them to the MDC, where after a check and consultations with the observer, the orbits will be included in the database.     

TV Meteor Observations from Modra

We present our experience and initial results of single-station observation using the new fish-eye TV system, as well as double station TV observation of the Geminids 2006 shower. The fixed fish-eye TV system was developed for monitoring meteor activity throughout the year. We discuss the astrometric precision of our observations using the UFOAnalyser software.     

The Lyrid Meteor Stream: Orbit and Structure

A filamentary structure in the Lyrid meteor stream based on photographic orbits available in the IAU Meteor database is identified and studied. About 17 Lyrids are found in the database and the stream mean orbit is derived. The shower radiant is compact, of a size 2° × 1.5°. Applying a stricter limiting value for the Southworth-Hawkins D-criterion, two distinct filaments in the stream, on a short and a long period orbit, are separated. To confirm their consistency as filaments, their orbital evolution over 5,000 years is investigated.     

Meteor streams associated with Jupiter family comets

Meteor showers have been observed for a considerable time, and the cause, meteoroids from a meteoroid stream ablating in the Earth's atmosphere, has also been understood for centuries. The connection between meteoroid streams and comets was also established 150 years ago. Since that time our ability both to understand the physics and to numerically model the situation has steadily increased. We will review the current state of knowledge. However, just as there are differences between the behaviour of long period comets, Halley family comets and Jupiter family comets, so also differences exist between the associated meteoroid streams. Streams associated with Jupiter family comets show much more variety in their behaviour, driven by the gravitational perturbations from Jupiter. The more interesting showers associated with Jupiter family comets will be discussed individually.     

Radar sporadic meteor rates and solar activity

The correlation of sporadic meteor rates from radar observations in January, August, and December non-show-er periods in 1958–2000, and relevant solar activity represented by the solar relative number, R, is investigated. Similar analysis of the December sporadic period was already presented by Simek 1999, and Pecina. Complete analysis indicates high correlation of both phenomena with sporadic meteor counts curve following that of solar activity after 1.5–2 years in the mean eleven year solar cycle with the correlation index exceeding 70%. This result supports the large volume of observing material of the Ondřejov meteor radar in the above mentioned span covering almost four solar cycles. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Shower Meteoroids: Constraints From Interplanetary Dust Particles And Leonid Meteors

The cometary Leonid meteoroids represent a size range in between largest carbon-richIDPs and the smallest CI meteorites. Their dustball structure and chemistry offer anopportunity to constrain hierarchical dust accretion inferred from petrologic studies ofaggregate and cluster IDPs. The Leonid shower meteoroids of known ``comet ejection'ages provide an opportunity to study space weathering of cometary dust over periodsof up to several hundred years. The meteors and aggregate and cluster IDPs displaycontinuous thermal modification of organics and volatile element (Na, K-bearing phases), that occur as discrete minerals and amorphous solids each different response during kinetically controlled ablation. Leonid meteoroids are not excessively Na-rich. The occurrences of Leonid meteors can now be accurate predicted and combined withknowledge better models for the settling rates, collections of surviving dust becomea comet nucleus-sampling mission. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

IAU Meteor Database of photographic orbits – version 2003

The IAU Meteor Data Center in Lund has acted as a central depository for meteor orbits obtained by photographic, video and radar techniques. The database of precisely reduced photographic meteors contains data on 4581 meteor orbits obtained by 17 different stations or groups in the period 1936–1996. The orbital and geophysical data are available in two separate files as well as in an alternative file with the merged data. In various studies of meteoroid streams as well as in studies of the sporadic meteor background, it is often necessary to utilize both the orbital and the geophysical data files. Since the database is a compilation of partial, not perfectly compatible catalogues from many observing stations, the merging of parameters from one data set to another may sometimes present problems. The present contribution is a note on some problems encountered in the merging procedure. Moreover, it is evident that the database includes a small amount of erroneous data – either in the observations or in the subsequent data reductions. The latter error is not surprising in view of the lack of modern computers at several stations in the past. A final, corrected version of the IAU MDC Lund photographic meteor orbits (eq. 2000.0) can now be requested through the homepage of the Astronomical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences (http://www.astro.sk/~ne/IAUMDC/Ph2003/database.html).