persistent train of a quadrantid meteor
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| Date: | 04.01.2011 | Time: | 00:25-0:45 UT, 6s interval |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exposure: | 200 x 5s | Field: | 33o x 19o |
| Camera: | Nikon D3 | Optics: | 50mm, f/1.4 |
| Place: | Sternwarte Zollern-Alb, Rosenfeld-Brittheim, Germany | Observer: | Till Credner |
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A bright meteor of the Quadrantid shower was caught at 0:31:54 UT (+5s exposure). A persistent train can be traced for about ten minutes and maybe even more. It is a self luminous remnant of the meteor, i.e. the meteors deposit of material and energy in the air of the upper atmosphere.
Initial train movement
It seems that high winds torn the train apart.
Interestingly, you can observe almost opposite directions in the different
heights. The remnants of the upper part of the meteors path, which is the right
hand side since it came from the right, do move quite fast to the left. This
is also the initial direction of the meteor.
Is it because of a remaining
momentum of the meteor remnant in the high and thin atmosphere? Or is it just
the wind direction at this height? The lower remants do move more like the
high cirrus clouds, which however, should be far below the meteor remnant.
A comparison with a
Quadrantid train from 2007
also shows the movement of the first and highest part of the train into the
initial direction of the meteor. There seems to be a considerable
transfer of momentum from the meteor to the high train.
The bright star on the right hand side is Polaris. A second, but fainter, quadrantid can be seen at upper right in the end. Too bad that so many thin clouds moved through the field of view.