Mass Influx Obtained from Low-Light-Level Television Observations of Faint Meteors

Abstract

Since the advent of low-light-level television (LLLTV) systems, it has been recognized that such devices offer the ability to observe meteors as faint as 10th magnitude which allows the extension of optical meteor data to masses as small as 10-4 gram. The Space Sciences Laboratory at Marshall Space Flight Center has been actively engaged in such observations using image orthicons and intensified SEC vidicons.The results of these observations are presented along with an interpretation in terms of mass-flux. This interpretation includes the development of a relationship between peak luminosity of a meteor and mass, velocity, and zenith angle that was derived from single body meteor theory and compares favorably with results obtained from the Artificial Meteor Program. Also included in the mass-flux interpretation is an analysis of the observation response of a LLLTV system to fixed and moving point sources.