An initial meteoroid stream survey in the southern hemisphere using the Southern Argentina Agile Meteor Radar (SAAMER)

• Autores: Janches, D.; Hormaechea, José Luis; Brunini, Claudio Antonio; Fritts, D. C.
• Año de publicación: 2013
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: artículo
• Materia: Meteoroids
• Institución: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas

We present in this manuscript a 4 year survey of meteor shower radiants utilizing the Southern Argentina Agile Meteor Radar (SAAMER). SAAMER, which operates at the southern most region of South America, is a new generation SKiYMET system designed with significant differences from typical meteor radars including high transmitted power and an 8-antenna transmitting array enabling large detected rates at low zenith angles. We applied the statistical methodology developed by Jones and Jones (Jones, J., Jones, W. [2006]. Month. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 367, 1050–1056) to the data collected each day and compiled the results into 1 composite representative year at 1 resolution in Solar Longitude. We then search for enhancements in the activity which last for at least 3 days and evolve temporally as is expected from a meteor shower. Using this methodology, we have identified in our data 32 shower radiants, two of which were not part of the IAU commission 22 meteor shower working list. Recently, SAAMER’s capabilities were enhanced by adding two remote stations to receive meteor forward scatter signals from meteor trails and thus enable the determination of meteoroid orbital parameters. SAAMER started recording orbits in January 2012 and future surveys will focus on the search for unknown meteor streams, in particular in the southern ecliptic sky.
Fil: Janches, D.. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Goddart Institute for Space Studies; Estados Unidos
Fil: Hormaechea, José Luis. Estación Astronómica Río Grande; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina
Fil: Brunini, Claudio Antonio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas. Instituto de Astrofísica la Plata; Argentina
Fil: Fritts, D. C.. Gats Inc.; Estados Unidos