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Credit & Copyright: Thomas Ashcraft
(Radio Fireball Observatory)
Explanation:
Yes, but have you ever heard a meteor?
Usually, meteors are
too far away to make any audible sound.
However, a
meteor will briefly create an
ionization trail
that can reflect a distant radio signal.
If the geometry is right, you may
momentarily hear -- through your radio --
a distant radio station even over
static.
In the
featured video,
the sounds of distant radio transmitters were caught reflecting from
large meteor trails by a sensitive radio receiver -- at the same time the
bright streaks were captured by an
all-sky video camera.
In the video, the
bright
paths taken by four
fireballs across the sky near
Lamy,
New Mexico,
USA, are shown first.
Next, after each static frame, a real-time video captures each
meteor streaking
across the sky, now paired with the sound recorded from its radio reflection.
Projecting a meteor trail down to the
Earth
may lead to finding its
impact site (if any), while projecting its
trail back into the sky may lead to identifying its
parent comet or asteroid.
Almost Hyperspace:
Random APOD Generator
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: meteor - fireball
Publications with words: meteor - fireball
See also: