22. Meteors and Meteorites

Extract

The limited space made available for this report by recent regulations of the Executive Committee of our Union does not allow the traditional list of all published papers. Also, it omits the data on detection of cosmic dust, which are now published each year in surveys by the COSPAR Dust Panel. This report is mainly based on completely fresh information contained in numerous letters sent to me.

The accompanying report of our Meteorite Committee is done in the old style, but only a limited number of references are given. Evidence for a terrestrial origin of tektites is becoming stronger every year, and this subject is omitted in order to shorten the report.

Before starting the report, I mention with great regret the death of Prof. Dr Cuno Hoffmeister. His name remains connected forever with the famous period of naked-eye observations of meteors. Another great loss for meteor observers was the death of Mr Koiro Komaki, the President of the Nippon Meteor Society.