OBSERVATION OF METEORS

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21146, 23 April 1934, Page 10

OBSERVATION OF METEORS

WORK IN NORTH ISLAND CO-OI'ERATION- WITH BYRD EXPEDITION When the Byrd Antarctic expedition was preparing details of the research to be undertaken during the long Antarctic night, extending from May until August, very extensive plans were made for a world-wide programme for the observation of shooting stars, with the object of determining the variation in the number of meteors in different latitudes, varying from the Antarctic to 60 deg. north. Members of the meteor section of the New Zealand Astronomical Society are to co-operate in this work. Arrangements have been made for observers to watch the sky between Auckland and Hamilton with' the aid of special reticles, which divide the sky with a system of lines, and simplify the task of computing the bearings of all the meteors observed from both observing stations.

Mr E. G. Hogg, a Christchurch member of the society, said last night that he had heard of no arrangements being made for special observations in the South Island. On account of mist and dust, he said, the Canterbury plains in particular made a very poor observing station.

In a wireless message to the New Zealand meteor observers Dr. Poulter, physicist to the Byrd expedition, reported that all the observing stations were in readiness to perform 24-hour watches on special dates already arranged. Atlhough there will be continuous night at Little America for the next few months observations of meteors can be performed only in twoweekly periods when the moon is below the horizon. As the observing stations are situated about 30 miles apart, considerable work has been involved in marking the trail and providing shelters against blizzards so that the observers can go out and return to the main camp in comparative safety. Beside the visual determination of the flights of meteors and the rate of their activity, systematic attempts will be made to photograph meteors with cameras operated by means of clockwork, which will be exposed for 40 hours without attention. These cameras will have remarkably fast lenses, operating at f 0.95. which is considerably faster than the lenses in any cameras in general use

In New Zealand the observers will confine themselves to the visua l portion of the work, endeavouring to determine the heights at which meteors begin and end in the atmosphere, the velocities at which they travel, and many other points of interest. Other members of the astronomical society will devote their time to the determination of the rate of activity of the meteors on the selected dates, counting how many meteors an hour can be seen in a circle 50 degrees in diameter.