Re: (meteorobs) Re: shimmers

Hi!

Meteors such as the one Leo described are not rare. Ok, they usually

don't reach -2 magnitude, but they have the same characteristics - distinct

head or nucleus, trailing sparks and leaving a short persistent train, more

like a wake. I usually see such meteors early in the evening, most of them

are 0m to +3m, rarely are they brighter. I don't have much experience yet,

but they seemed more frequent in spring than in autumn. Perhaps they have

something to do with the antiapex elevation. Most antiapex meteors I've seen

shared these characteristics, but these meteors were not confined only to the

antiapex source. Perhaps it has something to do with the low geocentric speeds

of meteoroids on the evening side of the Earth.

The other 'sparkling blobs' several people are talking about might be reentries?

I've never seen one, except the possible reentry in late August, but from the

accounts of other observers it seems possible that these two things are

actually the same.

Clear skies!

Jure A.