Radar observations

Use this method to record meteors even when it’s cloudy

Most meteors can only be observed on a clear night, but you can view meteors no matter the time or weather using radio waves. All around the world, stations are broadcasting radio waves into the upper atmosphere to track the flight of spacecraft. When the radio waves hit a satellite, they bounce back and can be detected here on the ground. However, these signals also bounce off the plasma trails left behind by meteors travelling through Earth’s atmosphere, enabling anyone with the right equipment to use it as a meteor detector “All you need is an antenna, a radio and a computer,” says Dave Jones, a member of the Norman Lockyer Observatory. Before you set anything up, however, you need to identify your nearest broadcasting station. For UK observers, that…

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The Astronomer's Yearbook 2019 (Digital) - 1 Issue, Astronomer's Yearbook 2020

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