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A Determination of Meteor Mass Distribution From Meteor Echoes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2016

G. Forti
G. Forti*
Affiliation:
Smithsonian Astrophysical ObservatoryCambridge, Massachusetts

Abstract

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Meteor counts from the observations of the Harvard-Smithsonian Radio Meteor Project at four magnitudes in the range of about +9 to +15 in the visual scale were used to determine the exponent of the mass-distribution law under certain assumptions. Since for these data no range measures were available, and since the pattern of the transmitting/receiving antennas was very broad, the same range and radiant distribution were assumed for all counts within the same half-hour during which individual counts at different magnitudes were obtained. These echo counts, covering in five successive days 24 hr with overlapping periods, yielded for the exponent a value of 1.95±0.0.02, close to other determinations. Individual values, however, presented a considerable scatter, probably reflecting changes in radiant and mass distribution over the year. From the same data, it appeared that the mass exponent changed during the day, yielding generally a higher value for the evening hours.

Type
Research Article
Information
International Astronomical Union Colloquium , Volume 13: Evolutionary and Physical Properties of Meteoroids , June 1971 , pp. 9 - 12
Copyright
Copyright © NASA 1971

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