The observations


The data are processed to produce graphical form outputs.

These graphs represent the data from week to week. The x-axis represents the time, from Monday to Sunday, in UT.

- A weekly graph -


In the upper section the graphics show the meteors mass behaviour.
The green line represents the echoes amplitude, the purple one the echoes duration time. The black one represents the product between this two measurements, so it abstracts the information regarding the meteors mass.
In the bottom section we can see the hourly rate i.e. the number of fallen meteors per hour.
The green sinusoidal curve approximates the expected meteors sporadic periodic behaviour. The time resolution is 5 minutes.

On the ordinate there are the number of meteors hour by hour. Each dot represents a meteor, time placed exactly where it has been registered; the diameter is directly proportional to the echo duration and therefore to the meteor magnitude.

The blue sinusoidal curve approximates the sporadic background trend.

"Predictions" data are superimposed: vertical lines represents the time at which a meteor shower is expected, plus the shower name.

The predictions are coming from the International Meteor Organization database and others.


The data are published at this page.


Magnitudes

The duration of a hyperdense echo is directly proportional to the linear density of charge, which in turn is directly proportional to the meteoroid mass. So: T ∝ m .

Because the relationship between the durations of two hyperdense echoes directly provides the relationship between the initial masses of meteoroids: it follows that the duration of the recorded echo is directly proportional to the meteor magnitude.

Then we analyze the data with the equation of the magnitude relationship:



Fx will be replaced by the value of longer durations of meteor echoes recorded (40 seconds) and Fx,0 by the minimum value (7 milliseconds). The result is 8.25.

The range of magnitudes recorded by our radar is then greater of 8, fully similar to the one involving the naked eye observation.


What does Rambo see?

The observed meteors can be sporadic or belonging to swarms.

But what is the relationship between them?

If the sporadics are prevailing this means that the observations have a little contribution to the swarms examination, but if, on the other hand, the majority of the observed meteors were linked to the swarms, it is evident that the observation of the meteor radar is very useful in relation to the swarms.

The following graph, taken from "Meteor showers and their parent comets" by Peter Jenninskens, relates the limit magnitude of the observed meteors echoes with the percentage of meteors belonging to the swarms.



If you go down in the limit magnitude more increases the percentage of the sporadic meteors.

If we fix to mag. 8 the limit of Rambo, it follows that the amount of sporadic is about 80% and the 20% is majority of the recorded echoes, are consequently coming from swarms!