Issue |
A&A
Volume 656, December 2021
|
|
---|---|---|
Article Number | A98 | |
Number of page(s) | 8 | |
Section | Planets and planetary systems | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202141809 | |
Published online | 07 December 2021 |
Search for pairs and groups in the 2006 Geminid meteor shower
1
Astronomical Institute, CAS,
Fričova 298,
25165
Ondřejov,
Czech Republic
e-mail: koten@asu.cas.cz
2
Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Czech Technical University,
Prague,
Czech Republic
Received:
16
July
2021
Accepted:
1
October
2021
Context. The existence of pairs and groups of meteors during meteor showers has been an open question for a long time. The double-station video observation of the 2006 Geminid meteor shower, one of the most active annual showers, is used for the search of such events.
Aims. The goal of the paper is to determine whether the observed pairs of Geminid meteors are real events or cases of random coincidence.
Methods. The atmospheric trajectories of the observed meteors, photometric masses, and both time and spatial distances of meteoroids in the atmosphere were determined using a double-station video observation. The time gaps between them were analysed statistically. The Monte Carlo simulation was used for the determination of the probability of random pairings.
Results. A higher than expected number of candidates for pairs was found among 2006 Geminids. An evaluation of the Poisson distribution shows that a significant fraction of them may be real cases. However, the Monte Carlo simulation did not confirm this result and provided a different view. Analysis of geometrical positions of candidate pairs also did not support the presence of real pairs and groups. Although we cannot exclude that some of them may be physically connected pairs, all the observed cases can be explained as the coincidental appearance of unrelated meteors.
Key words: meteorites, meteors, meteoroids
© ESO 2021
Current usage metrics show cumulative count of Article Views (full-text article views including HTML views, PDF and ePub downloads, according to the available data) and Abstracts Views on Vision4Press platform.
Data correspond to usage on the plateform after 2015. The current usage metrics is available 48-96 hours after online publication and is updated daily on week days.
Initial download of the metrics may take a while.