Extra-atmospheric masses of the Canadian Network bolides

Abstract

The extra-atmospheric masses of meteoric bodies have previously been determined using the so-called photometric formula, by integrating the luminosity along the visible portion of the trajectory. On the other hand, the mass of a meteoroid characterizes the braking height and intensity of the meteoroid in the atmosphere. Some studies note a substantial disagreement between the masses obtained in these two ways, using bolides of the European Bolide Network and of the US Prairie Network as examples. In nearly all cases, the photometric mass exceeds the mass determined from the braking intensity by an order of magnitude or more. Two explanations were suggested for this fact. According to one of them, a swarm of fragments, similar in size, rather than a single body is moving. This swarm brakes as an individual fragment, while it glows as a collection of fragments; i.e., it is much brighter than an individual fragment. The extra-atmospheric mass is determined here by properly fitting the parameters describing the braking of the meteor along the entire visible section of the trajectory. The results obtained for the bolides of the Canadian Network confirm again that the photometric approach is not tenable.