Meteor Trajectory Research Articles

Study of the lateral shift due to atmospheric refraction: alternative analytical methods, and new results

Atmospheric refraction modifies the apparent position of objects in the sky, and also produces a progressive lateral shift of the light rays received from these objects; in the case of a spherically symmetric atmosphere, for the first time, this shift has been numerically studied in 2022, and different analytical estimators have been compared (by Labriji et al.) for the total shift. This topic is important for the reconstruction of meteor trajectories, for the analysis of wavefront sensing in adaptative optics, etc. Always in the case of a spherically symmetric atmosphere, we show two other analytical methods to study this lateral shift, and to be able to estimate it analytically in the difficult case when the celestial object is seen near the astronomical horizon. One of these methods allows us to deduce an estimator, not only of the total shift, but also of the shift of any point of the ray. We compare properties of the total lateral shift and of the refraction angle, and also the chromatism of the total lateral shift to the chromatism of the air refractivity, for rays coming from an object seen either high enough above the astronomical horizon, or on it. In this latter case, our first method shows departures from proportionality between the chromatisms of the air refractivity, of the astronomical refraction angle, and, even more, of the total lateral shift.

Variation in the Reflection Height of VLF/LF Transmitter Signals in the D‐Region Ionosphere and the Possible Source: A 2018 Meteoroid in Hokkaido, Japan

AbstractSeveral studies have examined ionospheric variation associated with meteorites, meteoroids, or meteors based on Global Satellite Navigation System total electron content observations. However, there have been few quantitative studies of the D‐region of the ionosphere (60–90 km), which is associated with meteoroids. We investigated variation in the D‐region during the passage of a meteoroid over northeastern Hokkaido, Japan, at 11:55:55 UT on 18 October 2018, using very low‐frequency (VLF, 3–30 kHz) and low‐frequency (LF, 30–300 kHz) signals observed by three transmitters [JJY (40 kHz), JJY (60 kHz), and JJI (22.2 kHz)], at Rikubetsu, Japan. Periodic variation of 100–200 s was observed in the VLF and LF amplitudes upon arrival of the acoustic wave. The vertical seismic velocity of Hi‐net and F‐net data also showed acoustic waves. Although the main period of the acoustic wave was 0.1–0.5 s in the seismic data, a longer period component (100–200 s) remained during propagation up to the D‐region ionosphere. The estimated velocity of the acoustic waves was ∼340 m/s on the ground according to the Hi‐net seismic data. The acoustic wave originated near the endpoint (25 km altitude) of the meteoroid trajectory. Based on the observed propagation time of the acoustic waves and ray tracing results, the acoustic waves propagated obliquely from near the endpoint of the meteoroid trajectory up to a D‐region height (about ∼90 km altitude), south of the Rikubetsu receiver.

IMPROVING THE USE OF GEODETIC, GEOCENTRIC, AND TOPOCENTRIC COORDINATE SYSTEMS IN METEOR ASTRONOMY AND RELATED TASKS

The problem of using the geodetic, geocentric, and topocentric coordinate systems in video observations’ processing of meteors and other dynamical objects in Earth’s atmosphere is considered. For meteor heights in a range of 0…200 km and arbitrary Earth’s ellipsoid latitudes, the following values are calculated: the difference between geodetic and geocentric latitudes, the meridian arc length corresponding to this shift, and the difference between geocentric and geodetic altitudes above the Earth’s ellipsoid. The carried-out calculations allowed us to conclude that the geocentric coordinate system is optimal for the calcula- tion of kinematic parameters of meteors and trajectory measurements of ballistic objects at all-range altitudes and long distances between observation points without using horizontal coordinate systems as intermediate ones. This coordinate system is also used in the computation of heliocentric orbit elements of meteoroids. It is noted that the transition from the geocentric to the geodetic coordinate system is necessary for mapping the projections of the meteor trajectory to search for their remnants — meteorites. The reason is related to the difference between them, which can reach 11 arcmin for objects located at an altitude of 100 km above the level of the Earth’s ellipsoid, which corresponds to the shift of 21 km. The difference between geocentric and geodetic altitudes is inessential and amounts to half a meter at an altitude of 100 km and slightly more than one meter at 200 km and can be neglected in meteor calculations and most ballistic tasks. These considerations formed the basis for our proposed alternative vector method for the inverse transition from geocentric to geodetic coordinates and the numerical solution of the corresponding equation. In order to decrease the calculation time for mass processing, it is recommended to change the numerical processing of the inverse task by fitting it with elementary functions. An example of fitting is given. It brings to the maximal deviation in latitude near one arcmin, which corresponds to approximately 35 meters. It is noted that such precision is satisfactory for meteor measurements, but for ballistic problems, the accuracy of fitting must be improved.

Reconstructing Meteoroid Trajectories Using Forward Scatter Radio Observations From the BRAMS Network

AbstractIn this paper, we aim to reconstruct meteoroid trajectories using a forward scatter radio system transmitting a continuous wave (CW) with no modulation. To do so, we use the meteor echoes recorded at the receivers of the BRAMS (Belgian RAdio Meteor Stations) network. This system consists, at the time of writing, of a dedicated transmitter and 44 receiving stations located in and nearby Belgium, all synchronized using GPS clocks. Our approach processes the meteor echoes at the BRAMS receivers and uses the time delays as inputs to a nonlinear optimization solver. We compare the quality of our reconstructions with and without interferometric data to the trajectories given by the optical CAMS (Cameras for Allsky Meteor Surveillance) network in Benelux. We show that the general CW forward scatter trajectory reconstruction problem can be solved, but we highlight its strong ill‐conditioning. With interferometry, this high sensitivity to the inputs is alleviated and the reconstructed trajectories are in good agreement with optical ones, displaying an uncertainty smaller than 10% on the velocity and 2° on the inclination for most cases. To increase accuracy, the trajectory reconstruction with time delays only should be complemented by information about the signal phase. The use of at least one interferometer makes the problem much easier to solve and greatly improves the accuracy of the retrieved velocities and inclinations. Increasing the number of receiving stations also enhances the quality of the reconstructions.

Meteor cluster event indication in variable-length astronomical video sequences

Abstract In recent years, the study of parallel or cluster meteor events has become increasingly popular. Many imaging systems currently focus on meteor detection, but the algorithms exploiting the data from such systems do not investigate the probability of cluster or parallel meteor events. This paper presents a novel approach to indicate a potential meteor cluster or parallel meteor event based on variable-length astronomical video sequences. The presented algorithm consists of two main parts: meteor event pre-detection and meteor cluster event probability evaluation. The first part of the algorithm involves a meteor pre-detection method based on the Hough transform (HT) and the exact event location within the time domain. In addition to pre-detecting meteor events, the method outputs event trajectory parameters that are further exploited in a second part of the algorithm. This subsequent part of the algorithm then operates over these meteor trajectory parameters and indicates the probability of cluster occurrence. The algorithm is experimentally evaluated on video sequences generated by the Meteor Automatic Imager and Analyzer (MAIA) astronomical imaging system, covering the Draconid and September ε Perseid (SPE) meteor showers. Compared to the current MAIA meteor detection software, the proposed part of the pre-detection algorithm shows promising results, especially the increased rate of correct meteor detection. The meteor cluster evaluation part of the algorithm then demonstrates its ability to successfully select related meteor event candidates (disintegrated from the same parental object) and reject unrelated ones.

Newly formed craters on Mars located using seismic and acoustic wave data from InSight

Meteoroid impacts shape planetary surfaces by forming new craters and alter atmospheric composition. During atmospheric entry and impact on the ground, meteoroids excite transient acoustic and seismic waves. However, new crater formation and the associated impact-induced mechanical waves have yet to be observed jointly beyond Earth. Here we report observations of seismic and acoustic waves from the NASA InSight lander’s seismometer that we link to four meteoroid impact events on Mars observed in spacecraft imagery. We analysed arrival times and polarization of seismic and acoustic waves to estimate impact locations, which were subsequently confirmed by orbital imaging of the associated craters. Crater dimensions and estimates of meteoroid trajectories are consistent with waveform modelling of the recorded seismograms. With identified seismic sources, the seismic waves can be used to constrain the structure of the Martian interior, corroborating previous crustal structure models, and constrain scaling relationships between the distance and amplitude of impact-generated seismic waves on Mars, supporting a link between the seismic moment of impacts and the vertical impactor momentum. Our findings demonstrate the capability of planetary seismology to identify impact-generated seismic sources and constrain both impact processes and planetary interiors. Impact-induced acoustic and seismic wave events on Mars recorded by the InSight lander’s seismometer have been traced to fresh craters observed in spacecraft imagery.

A new least squares adjustment approach for the determination of linear meteor trajectories

Context.Precise astrometric measurements performed on meteor images are required to derive the dynamical parameters of a mete-oroid. As a consequence, the measurements carried out in this initial step will have a strong impact on the dynamical solution of an orbiting meteoroid. These measurements relate to the position of the meteor defined by the positions of pixels along its path, as well as by their uncertainties. Therefore, the use of all available information is of great importance for the subsequent processing steps.Aims.This paper examines a new geometrical approach for computing the trajectory of a meteor from multi-station observations. The model considers a more general weighting scheme based on existing stochastic information from the measurements, including the geometry between each station and the observed meteor.Methods.We present a novel mathematical model for least squares adjustment of the linear meteor trajectories within the Gauss-Helmert model, which allows the use of stochastic information from the measured direction vectors from multiple stations. Additionally, an extended stochastic model is presented that takes into account the geometric relationship between each station and the observed meteor as a weight component for each group of observations.Results.The solution of the new approach is demonstrated on a synthetic meteor example, with observations generated from multiple stations with differing precision. The geometric configuration of the stations has been chosen in such a way that it creates the necessity to include stochastic information for the observed direction vectors for a realistic solution. The results of the newly developed approach are compared with those from established methods in the literature. Future investigations and optimisations for developing an even more improved meteor trajectory model are being addressed.

Computation of the lateral shift due to atmospheric refraction

Context. Atmospheric refraction modifies the apparent position of objects in the sky. As a complement to the well-known angular offset, we computed the lateral translation that is to be considered for short-range applications, such as wavefront sensing and meteor trajectories. Aims. We aim to calculate the lateral shift at each altitude and study its variation according to meteorological conditions and the location of the observation site. We also pay special attention to the chromatism of this lateral shift. Moreover, we assess the relevance of the expressions present in the literature, which have been established neglecting Earth’s curvature. Methods. We extracted the variation equations of refraction from the geometric tracing of a light ray path. A numerical method and a dry atmosphere model allowed us to numerically integrate the system of coupled equations. In addition to this, based on Taylor expansions, we established three analytic approximations of the lateral shift, one of which is the one already known in the literature. We compared the three approximations to the numerical solution. All these estimators are included in a PYTHON 3.2 package, which is available online. Results. Using the numerical integration estimator, we calculated the lateral shift values for any zenith angle including low elevations. The shift is typically around 3 m at a zenith angle of 45°, 10 m at 65°, and even 300 m at 85°. Next, the study of the variability of the lateral shift as a function of wavelength shows differences of up to 2% between the visible and near infrared. Furthermore, we show that the flat Earth approximation of the lateral shift corresponds to its first-order Taylor expansion. The analysis of the errors of each approximation shows the ranges of validity of the three estimators as a function of the zenith angle. The ‘flat Earth’ estimator achieves a relative error of less than 1% up to 55°, while the new extended second-order estimators improves this result up to 75°. Conclusions. The flat Earth estimator is sufficient for applications where the zenith angle is below 55° (most high-resolution applications) but a refined estimator is necessary to estimate meteor trajectories at low elevations.

Using fireball networks to track more frequent reentries: Falcon 9 upper-stage orbit determination from video recordings

On February 16, 2021, an artificial object was recorded by the Spanish Meteor Network (SPMN) moving slowly over the Mediterranean. From the astrometric measurements, we identify this event as the reentry engine burn of a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle's upper stage. To study this event in detail, we adapted the plane intersection method for near-straight meteoroid trajectories to analyze slow and curved orbits associated with artificial objects. To corroborate our results, we approximated the orbital elements for the upper stage using four pieces of "debris" cataloged by the U.S. Government Combined Space Operations Center (CSpOC). Based on these calculations, we also estimated the possible deorbit hazard zone using the MSISE90 model atmosphere. We warn of the interference that these artificial bolides might have in fireball studies. In addition, given that artificial bolides will be probably more frequent in the future, we point out the new role that ground-based detection networks can play in the monitoring of potentially hazardous artificial objects in near-Earth space and determining the strewn field of artificial space debris.

Iron Rain: measuring the occurrence rate and origin of small iron meteoroids at Earth

ABSTRACT We report results of a 4-yr survey using Electron Multiplied Charged Coupled Device cameras recording 34 761 two-station video meteor events complete to a limiting magnitude of +6. The survey goal was to characterize probable iron meteoroids. Using only physical properties of the meteor trajectories including early peaking light curves, short luminous trajectories, and high energies accumulated per area at beginning, we identified 1068 iron meteors. Our iron candidates are most abundant at slow speeds <15 km s−1, where they make up ≈20 per cent of the mm-sized meteoroid population. They are overwhelmingly on asteroidal orbits, and have particularly low orbital eccentricities and smaller semimajor axes when compared to non-irons between 10 and 20 km s−1. Our iron population appears to be more numerous at fainter magnitudes, comprising 15 per cent of slow (10–15 km s−1) meteors with peak brightness of +3 with the fraction rising to 25 per cent at +6 to +7, our survey limit. The iron orbits are most consistent with an asteroidal source and are in highly evolved orbits, suggesting long collisional lifetimes (107 yr). Metal-rich chondrules (nodules) found in abundance in EL chondrites are one possible source for this population. We also propose a possible technique using R-band colours to more robustly identify fainter iron meteors with very high confidence.

Assessment of Morelian Meteoroid Impact on Mexican Environment

Possible ionospheric effects of the Morelian meteoroid that passed and exploded over Mexico on 19 February 2020 (18 February 2020 local time) were estimated. The meteoroid trajectory, velocity and time of occurrence were calculated based on outdoor camera records. Modeling was used to estimate the meteoroid initial diameter, density, mass, velocity, energy and their change during its flight in the atmosphere. The ensemble of ionospheric scintillation indices calculated from the high-rate GNSS data and the filtered slant Total Electron Content data were used to reveal the presence of ionospheric disturbances generated by shock waves excited by the meteoroid flight and explosion. The first ionospheric responses to phenomena accompanying the meteoroid were detected (2.5–3.5) min after the explosion. The disturbances were attenuated quickly with distance from their source and were rarely recorded by GNSS receivers located more than 600 km from the meteoroid explosion site. The ionospheric disturbances of intermediate-scale, small-scale, shock-acoustic-wave-scale and sometimes medium-scale were revealed. The detected disturbances corresponded to the range of acoustic-gravity waves. An asymmetry of the disturbance manifestation in different directions was observed. The obtained results are in accordance with results of the observation of other meteoroids. Although the object was smaller and of less energy than other known meteoroids, it is an interesting case because, to the best of our knowledge, it isthe first known to us low-latitude meteoroid with the detected ionospheric effects.

A Dynamic Trajectory Fit to Multisensor Fireball Observations

Abstract Meteorites with known orbital origins are key to our understanding of solar system formation and the source of life on Earth. Fireball networks have been developed globally in a unified effort to record and ultimately retrieve these cosmic samples. However, the accuracy of the determined orbit and the likelihood of meteorite recovery depend directly on the accuracy of the chosen meteoroid triangulation method. There are three leading techniques for meteoroid triangulation discussed in the literature: the method of planes, the straight-line least-squares method, and the multiparameter fit method. Here we describe an alternative method to meteoroid triangulation, called the dynamic trajectory fit. This approach uses the meteoroid’s 3D dynamic equations of motion to fit a realistic trajectory directly to multisensor line-of-sight observations. This method has the ability to resolve fragmentation events, fit systematic observatory timing offsets, and determine mass estimates of the meteoroid along its observable trajectory. Through a comprehensive Monte Carlo analysis of over 100,000 trajectory simulations, we find this new method to more accurately estimate meteoroid trajectories of slow entry events (<25 km s−1) and events observed from low convergence angles (<10°) compared to existing meteoroid triangulation techniques. Additionally, we triangulate an observed fireball event with visible fragmentation using the various triangulation methods to show that the proposed dynamic trajectory fit implementing fragmentation to best match the captured multisensor line-of-sight data.

High precision meteor observations with the Canadian automated meteor observatory: Data reduction pipeline and application to meteoroid mechanical strength measurements

ContextThe mirror tracking system of the Canadian Automated Meteor Observatory (CAMO) can track meteors in real time, providing an effective angular resolution of 1 arc sec and a temporal resolution of 100 frames per second. AimsWe describe the upgraded hardware and give details of the data calibration and reduction pipeline. We investigate the influence of meteor morphology on radiant and velocity measurement precision, and use direct observations of meteoroid fragmentation to constrain their compressive strengths. MethodsOn July 21, 2017, CAMO observed a ~4 second meteor on a JFC orbit. It had a shallow entry angle (~8°) and 12 fragments were visible in the narrow-field video. The event was manually reduced and the exact moment of fragmentation was determined. The aerodynamic ram pressure at the moment of fragmentation was used as a proxy for compressive strength, and strengths of an additional 19 fragmenting meteoroids were measured in the same way. The uncertainty in the atmosphere mass density was estimated to be ±25% using NAVGEM-HA data. ResultsWe find that meteor trajectory accuracy significantly depends on meteor morphology. The CAMO radiant and initial velocity precision for non-fragmenting meteors with short wakes is ~0. 5′ and 1 m s−1, while that for meteors with fragments or long wakes is similar to non-tracking, moderate field of view optical systems (~5′, 50 m s−1). Measured compressive strengths of 20 fragmenting meteoroids (with less precise radiants due to their morphology) was in the range of 1–4 kPa, which is in excellent accord with Rosetta in-situ measurements of 67P. Fragmentation type and strength do not appear to be dependent on orbit. The mass index of the 12 fragments in the July 21 meteoroid was very high (s = 2.8), indicating possible progressive fragmentation.

The all-sky-6 and the Video Meteor Archive system of the AMS Ltd.

Over a period of several years, the American Meteor Society, Ltd. (AMS) has developed a custom hardware and software system for capturing, reducing, solving and permanently storing meteor event data along with all-important corroborating video media from which high accuracy and reliable information can be gleaned. The connected hardware and software developed for trajectory analysis up to this point has utilized mainly open source materials and steadily matured into a modern, online system with wide international connections through “live” internet interactions between the various camera stations. Some critical software components and algorithms used by our system for the astrometric calibration of the cameras as well as trajectory and orbit solving have been developed by Denis Vida and provided through his RMS (Raspberry Pi Meteor Station) and WMPL (Western Meteor Python Library) open-source projects. These routines and solvers are currently integrated into the AMS routine workflow along with some others from the open or published literature. A continuing check of our computational integrity during the rather difficult atmospheric trajectory stage is obtained by “back” solving those relatively rare concurrent events where there has been camera detection overlap with those objects formally published by other networks and available openly online. The trajectory part of the solution is the most difficult part of the process to automate and verify with a minimum of human intervention and so that part of the entire computational process is still in beta testing. On the other hand, the strongly autonimous computation of going from meteor trajectory to orbital elements through our version of WMPL has been tested against the listed online orbital elements derived with the same trajectory information (URL here) and is discussed in some detail statistically. We are continuing to search for instrumental causes and possible remediation of trajectory characterization faults and errors whether between stations or between individual cameras before we move our system out of the current beta testing phase.

A model for meteoroid ablation including melting and vaporization

Meteor influx and its physical properties can be estimated based on observations using heuristic models for ablation. These models suffer from a lack of validation and physical description of the flow and material fields, as well as their coupling. In this paper, we develop a model for meteoroid ablation including melting and vaporization, where both flow and material are coupled. We apply the model to ground experiments carried out at the arc jet facilities at NASA Ames Research Center. These experiments reveal a substantial effect of the shear ablation on the ablation process, which the heuristic models do not describe. Due to scarce data on physicochemical material properties at high temperatures, we perform a sensitivity analysis, showing that the material thermal conductivity and viscosity are essential parameters for the shear ablation process. We also observe that the direct evaporation phenomenon is negligible compared to the mass loss by shear ablation. Our models are used to compute an effective heat of ablation six times smaller than the one reported in the literature. These models can be applied to study meteor trajectories and to improve coefficients used in heuristic models.

A new method for measuring the meteor mass index: application to the 2018 Draconid meteor shower outburst

Context.Several authors predicted an outburst of the Draconid meteor shower in 2018, but with an uncertain level of activity.Aims.Optical meteor observations were used to derive the population and mass indices, flux, and radiant positions of Draconid meteors.Methods.We performed 90 min of multi-station observations after the predicted peak of activity using highly sensitive Electron Multiplying Charge Coupled Device cameras. The data calibration is discussed in detail. A novel maximum likelihood estimation method was developed to compute the population and mass index with robust error estimation. We applied the method to observed Draconids and used the values to derive the flux. Meteor trajectories were computed and compared to predicted radiant positions from meteoroid ejection models.Results.We find a mass index of 1.74 ± 0.18 in the 30 min bin after the predicted peak, and 2.32 ± 0.27 in the subsequent 60 min. The location and the dispersion of the radiant are a good match to modeled values, but there is an offset of 0.4° in solar longitude.

Estimating trajectories of meteors: an observational Monte Carlo approach – II. Results

ABSTRACT In the first paper of this series, we examined existing methods of optical meteor trajectory estimation and developed a novel method which simultaneously uses both the geometry and the dynamics of meteors to constrain their trajectories. We also developed a simulator which uses an ablation model to generate realistic synthetic meteor trajectories which we use to test meteor trajectory solvers. In this second paper, we perform simulation validation to estimate radiant and velocity accuracy, which may be achieved by various meteor observation systems as applied to several meteor showers. For low-resolution all-sky systems, where the meteor deceleration is generally not measurable, the multi-parameter fit method assuming a constant velocity better reproduces the radiant and speed of synthetic meteors. For moderate field of view systems, our novel method performs the best at all convergence angles, while multi-parameter fit methods generally produce larger speed errors. For high-resolution, narrow field of view systems, we find our new method of trajectory estimation reproduces radiant and speed more accurately than all other methods tested. The ablation properties of meteoroids are commonly found to be the limiting factor in velocity accuracy. We show that the true radiant dispersion of meteor showers can be reliably measured with moderate field of view (or more precise) systems provided appropriate methods of meteor trajectory estimation are employed. Finally, we compare estimated and real angular radiant uncertainty and show that for the solvers tested the real radiant error is on average underestimated by a factor of two.

Estimating trajectories of meteors: an observational Monte Carlo approach – I. Theory

ABSTRACTIt has recently been shown by Egal et al. that some types of existing meteor in-atmosphere trajectory estimation methods may be less accurate than others, particularly when applied to high-precision optical measurements. The comparative performance of trajectory solution methods has previously only been examined for a small number of cases. Besides the radiant, orbital accuracy depends on the estimation of pre-atmosphere velocities, which have both random and systematic biases. Thus, it is critical to understand the uncertainty in velocity measurement inherent to each trajectory estimation method. In this first of a series of two papers, we introduce a novel meteor trajectory estimation method that uses the observed dynamics of meteors across stations as a global optimization function and that does not require either a theoretical or an empirical flight model to solve for velocity. We also develop a 3D observational meteor trajectory simulator that uses a meteor ablation model to replicate the dynamics of meteoroid flight, as a means to validate different trajectory solvers. We both test this new method and compare it to other methods, using synthetic meteors from three major showers spanning a wide range of velocities and geometries (Draconids, Geminids, and Perseids). We determine which meteor trajectory solving algorithm performs better for all-sky, moderate field-of-view, and high-precision narrow-field optical meteor detection systems. The results are presented in the second paper in this series. Finally, we give detailed equations for estimating meteor trajectories and analytically computing meteoroid orbits, and provide the python code of the methodology as open-source software.

RESULTS OF POSITIONAL AND PHOTOMETRIC MEASURE- MENTS OF METEOR TRAJECTORIES OBSERVED IN MYKOLAIV 2017-2018

Regular meteor observation using TV CCD unintensified techniques was started in 2011 in RI «Mykolaiv astronomical observatory» (RI MAO). The method of meteor registration is based on using “track- and-stack” technique for obtaining frames with reference stars and online meteor detection software developed at RI NAO. The main accent of the research is made on precise astrometry and meteoroid orbits calculation. New observa- tional campaign with baselines 11.7 and 100 km was start- ed in 2017-2018 in collaboration with Astronomical Ob- servatory of the I.I. Mechnikov Odessa National Universi- ty. Eight telescopes with narrow field lens (f=50 mm, f/1.2) were installed in Mykolaiv and Odessa. More than 3000 single station meteors and 221 double station mete- ors were detected during 2017-2018. Uncertainties of me- teor trajectory and orbital parameters are calculated using Monte Carlo method. Catalog of meteor trajectory posi- tions and photometric parameters has created. Standard deviation of approximation of a meteoric trajectory in a large circle is (15-20). Kinematic parameters of atmos- pheric meteoric trajectories and elements of heliocentric orbits for 3 meteors were calculated based on the results of television observations with cameras with a field of view <10° at a baseline distance 100 km. The average uncertainty of visible radiant estimation is in (0.3-0.7)o with baseline 100 km. The geocentric velocity estimation uncertainty is 0.5 km/s, elevation uncertainty is 50-150 m.

A spectroscopy pipeline for the Canary island long baseline observatory meteor detection system

We demonstrated the capability of the updated Canary Island Long Baseline Observatory (CILBO) meteor detection system to measure relative elements intensities of meteors. Meteor spectra provide valuable information on the chemical properties of individual meteoroids. In some cases, this may be the only information on the chemical composition of the parent bodies, and on transforming processes that occur during the meteoroid’s journey from its source to Earth. The CILBO spectroscopic program has been created with the intention of carrying out regular systematic spectroscopic observations. At the same time, the meteoroid trajectory and pre-atmospheric orbit are independently measured from data collected by the other cameras in the network. We presented the meteor spectroscopy pipeline developed by the Meteor Research Group of the European Space Agency, and it’s application to the spectroscopic survey of Geminid meteor shower observed by CILBO.