Meteoroids Sources of Meteors on Earth and Beyond

This definitive guide provides advanced students and researchers with a detailed yet accessible overview of all of the central topics of meteor science. Leading figures from the field summarise their active research on themes ranging from the physical composition of meteoroids to the most recent optical and radar observations and ongoing theoretical developments. Crucial practical issues are also considered, such as the risk posed by meteoroids - to spacecraft, and on the ground - and future avenues of research are explored. Taking advantage of the latest dynamical models, insights are offered into meteor flight phenomena and the evolution of meteoroid streams and complexes, as well as describing the in-depth laboratory analysis of recovered material. The rapid rate of progress in twenty-first-century research makes this volume essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand how recent developments broaden our understanding of meteors, meteoroids and their origins.

Preface; Acknowledgements; Introduction: meteor astronomy in the XXI century; References; Part I. Meteor Physics: 1. Modelling the entry of meteoroids Olga Popova, Jiri Borovicka and Margaret Campbell-Brown; 2. Physical and chemical properties of meteoroids Jiri Borovicka, Robert J. Macke, Margaret Campbell-Brown, Anny-Chantal Levasseur-Regourd, Frans J. M. Rietmeijer and Tomas Kohout; Part II. Meteor Observations on the Earth: 3. Radar observations of meteors Johan Kero, Margaret Campbell-Brown, Gunter Stober, Jorge Luis Chau, John David Mathews and Asta Pellinen-Wannberg; 4. Meteors and meteor showers as observed by optical techniques Pavel Koten, Jurgen Rendtel, Lukas Shrbeny, Peter Gural, Jiri Borovicka and Pavlo Kozak; Part III. Meteors on the Moon and Planets: 5. Extra-terrestrial meteors Apostolos Christou, Jeremie Vaubaillion, Paul Withers, Ricardo Hueso and Rosemary Killen; 6. Impact flashes of meteoroids on the moon Jose M. Madiedo, Jose L. Ortiz, Masahisa Yanagisawa, Jesus Aceituno and Francisco Aceituno; Part IV. Interrelations: 7. From parent body to meteor shower: the dynamics of meteoroid streams Jeremie Vaubaillon, Lubos Neslusan, Aswin Sekhar, Regina Rudawska and Galina O. Ryabova; 8. Asteroid-meteoroid complexes Toshihiro Kasuga and David Jewitt; 9. Minor meteor showers and the sporadic background Iwan P. Williams, Tadeusz J. Jopek, Regina Rudawska, Juraj Toth and Leonard Kornos; 10. Interstellar meteoroids Maria Hajdukova, Jr, Veerle Sterken and Paul Wiegert; Part V. Hazard: 11. The meteoroid impact hazard for spacecraft Gerhard Drolshagen and Althea Moorhead; 12. Impact hazard of large meteoroids and small asteroids Vladimir Svetsov, Valery Shuvalov, Gareth Collins and Olga Popova; Index.

Galina O. Ryabova is Principal Researcher at Tomsk State University, Russian Federation. Her research interests include the mathematical modelling of meteoroid streams and interrelations in the asteroid–comet–meteoroid complex. She has served on the Organizing Committee of the International Astronomical Union's Commission on 'Meteors, Meteorites and Interplanetary Dust', and is a council member of the International Meteor Organization (IMO).
David J. Asher is Visiting Research Fellow at Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, whose interests include solar system dynamics. His work with Robert H. McNaught brought the Leonid meteor storms of 1999–2002 to public attention worldwide. He has served on the Organizing Committee of the IAU's 'Meteors, Meteorites and Interplanetary Dust' Commission and, through his long involvement with the IMO, maintains extensive links with the active amateur meteor community in many countries.
Margaret D. Campbell-Brown is Associate Professor at the University of Western Ontario and Vice-President of the IAU's Commission on 'Meteors, Meteorites and Interplanetary Dust'. Her research focuses on the origin of sporadic meteoroids and their physical and chemical properties, and her telescopic tracking system for meteors has produced unprecedented data on the fragmentation and dynamics of small meteoroids.