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To: Doctor 2Brains

The Leonid shower back in 2002 or 2003 which ever was the big year certainly did

And I would have loved to see the one in the sixties

But if you really are an expert, maybe you can answer a question I always wondered.

How far can you see a Meteor?

For example if I see a Meteor here in NJ, if my parents 300 miles away in upstate NY were looking in the same place in the sky (like Leo) would they see the same Meteor? How about my cousin 1000 miles away in Georgia?


12 posted on 11/16/2012 8:27:21 PM PST by qam1 (There's been a huge party. All plates and the bottles are empty, all that's left is the bill to pay)
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To: qam1
How far can you see a Meteor?

For example if I see a Meteor here in NJ, if my parents 300 miles away in upstate NY were looking in the same place in the sky (like Leo) would they see the same Meteor? How about my cousin 1000 miles away in Georgia?

Your question is a good one, but I cannot answer it. I did see one time in an amateur astronomy book that different groups could compare angualr sighting data and triangulate to determine the distance from the observers.

16 posted on 11/16/2012 11:01:19 PM PST by The_Media_never_lie (Actually, they lie when it suits them! The crooked MS media must be defeated any way it can be done!)
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To: qam1

Good question, and I don’t know the answer. Probably not very far, because they’re in Earth’s atmosphere and the whole curved planet thing comes into play pretty quickly. Also, as you may know, (and I find this the most amazing thing about meteors) the average meteor is SMALLER THAN A GRAIN OF SAND! A big one is pea-sized.


18 posted on 11/17/2012 5:06:24 AM PST by Doctor 2Brains
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