Abstract
Faint meteors observed with Super-Schmidt cameras are re-examined in order to assess whether their dynamical and photometric behavior can be described by means of the single body theory. Velocities, decelerations and magnitudes are tted simultaneously to synthetic curves resulting from integration of the appropriate set of dierential equations. The parameters determined by this procedure are the ablation coecient, the shape-density coecient and the preatmospheric mass of each individual meteoroid. It turns out that 73% of the meteors analyzed here (with magnitudes in the range from +2.5 to 5) are reasonably well described by this theory, suggesting that they did not undergo signicant fragmentation during their atmospheric flight. Nevertheless, we identify some systematic dierences between observed and theoretical light curves of meteors for which the t is good. Meteoroid bulk densities are estimated from the retrieved shape-density coecients. The distributions of individual values are broad, indicating that objects of dierent densities coexist within the same meteoroid population. The average density is found to be 2400, 1400, and 400 kg m 3 for A-type, B-type and C-type meteoroids, respectively. These results do not conrm the large values determined from quasicontinuous fragmentation models.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
