Observation by Bill W: (Suspected) Southern Taurid Meteor

Uploaded by

Bill Ward

Observer

Bill W

Observed

2015 Oct 12 - 23:09

Uploaded

2019 Aug 11 - 16:51

Objects

Meteor

Equipment

WATEC 910 HX/RC
12mm f0.8 Lens
600 Lines/mm transmission grating

Location

Kilwinning, North Ayrshire

Target name

Suspected Southern Taurid Meteor Spectrum

Title

(Suspected) Southern Taurid Meteor

About this image

Here's the composite image, bit of curvature probably due to the interline read out. (like the bendy lamp-posts you get when using your smart phone camera from a car, as a passenger of course...)

Spectrum was taken from a small section just before second flare.

PS. One interesting thing to note is the dark feature to the right hand side of the brightest line in the grouping on the left of the image. Whilst most of the spectrum is discrete emission lines there is a faint continuum caused by the physical temperature of the meteor and it's plasma within the atmosphere. This dark narrow band is strong absorption from molecular oxygen at 761nm along the column length of atmosphere between the camera and the meteor. So that little waveband of light is soaked up by all those molecules along the way. Emission and absorption in one spectrum, quantum mechanics in action! ;-)

Files associated with this observation

M20151013_000934_KILWINNING_C7P.jpg (126.1 kB)

Like this image

Jeremy Shears, Graham Winstanley, Dawson, Andy Wilson, Derek Robson, Adam Jeffers, Andrew Dumbleton, Peter Carson

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