An Alternative Explanation for a Screw-like Meteoric Train Photographed by Double-Station Observations

Abstract

Two-station observation of meteors, especially a meteor trains, provides an effective approach to the measurement of the physical parameters. We have collected four special groups of photographs of meteoric trains taken at two stations during Leonids 2001. One representative group has been measured and analyzed in detail. An analysis has been reported in our first paper. In this paper, an alternative explanation for the screw-like meteoric train is suggested based on some physical calculations. The results reveal that this train has a screw-like structure and, apparently, spoke beams. The mother meteor of this train may be negatively charged and moves forward along a left-hand screw trajectory under the effect of the geomagnetic field. The spoke beams might be the visual effect of the long time exposure of many particles released from the disintegrated meteoroid.