Enrico Stomeo
Technical architect. Amateur astronomer. Speaker of Venice Planetarium. IMO founding member. Leader of Italian Meteor Group and UAI Meteor Section. Visual, video-photographic and radio meteor observer, interested in data analysis, computer and astronomical literature.
8 Posts
Ivan Sergei
Visual meteor observer since 1987 (saw more than 5000 meteors), video from 2006 to 2016, regular all-sky photopatrol of fireballs from summer 2019, regular 24-hour radio observations from 2010. In addition - research and observation of variable stars search and revision.
25 Posts
Jose Maria Madiedo
PhD in Astrophysics and PhD in Chemistry. I currently work as Associated Doctor at the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA-CSIC). I am the coordinator of the Southwestern Europe Meteor Network (SWEMN), which operates in Spain and neighbouring areas (www.swemn.org). I am running the SMART Project (Spectroscopy of Meteoroids in the Atmosphere by means of Robotic Technologies). In the framework of this survey I currently operate over 80 high-sensitivity video cameras and spectrographs from 10 different observatories, together with three systems for the detection of radio meteors. I also conduct the MIDAS Project (Moon Impacts Detection and Analysis System) together with the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA), to detect and analyze impact flashes produced by meteoroids that hit the lunar surface.
67 Posts
Koen Miskotte
Visual, photographic and video meteor observer, active since 1978. Observed more than 80 000 meteors visually. Observed many meteor outbursts including the (big) Leonid outbursts of 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006. I also observed the Perseid outbursts of 1992, 1993, 1997, 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2016. I participated in many expeditions to observe these outbursts. I observed meteors from the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, China, La Palma (Spain) and Namibia. Also active in photographic work (1980-1993) and all sky work (1988-1996 and 2012-2021). I am currenty participating in the CAMS Benelux network with four CAMS systems (351, 352, 353 & 354).
62 Posts
Kővágó Gábor
Not a member of any association but he tries to dedicate most of his freetime to meteoritics, especially to calculate fireballs' trajectory, solar system orbits and strewnfields. Working in IT helps developing new softwares to support this goal. (Site: Budapest, Hungary)
8 Posts
Paul Mohan
I am a second-generation electrical engineer who was inspired by my father's enduring interest in the workings of nature combined with hands-on science and engineering. Upon retiring, he built a private observatory at his home in NE Illinois, Pine Hill Observatory, where we combined Solar observations with my interest in radio meteor observation. My professional field is EO/RF remote sensing where I worked at ERIM, Ann Arbor MI for some 32 years. In 2001, I began following the work of others using VHF analog television video carriers as high-power probes for meteor scatter study. I continue to use an ICOM PCR1000 with spectrogram tools developed by fellow hams I2PHD & IK2CZL and by DL4YHF. The industry changeover to digital TV has greatly reduced the availability of hi-power video carrier energy as illumination sources for radio meteor observation, but a few analog TV stations remain originating in Canada and well situated to my receiver site in SE Michigan.
1 Post
Paul Roggemans
I have been interested in astronomy for as long as I can remember. In 1975 I got involved in meteor observing and from the beginning I started to establish international contacts to share meteor observations. As director of the VVS meteor section, I edited a monthly newsletter Werkgroepnieuws since 1978 which I upgraded in 1980 into an international Journal (WGN, today IMO journal). From 1975 till 1996 I made many visual observations until my eyes became too bad for visual observing. I have a great interest in meteor literature and its history. My personal correspondence developed into a worldwide network of correspondents, including most of the active meteor amateurs at that time. I was one of the driving forces behind the Meteor Seminär and International Meteor Weekends in the 1980s which became the International Meteor Conference (IMC). One achievement of these meetings in the aftermath of the International Halley Watch and with the support of the IAU Commission 22 was the acceptance of a standardized methodology for visual meteor observing and reporting in 1986. This method was promoted with the Handbook for Visual Meteor Observers published by the Sky Publishing corporation. Using my correspondents’ network, I created the International Meteor Organization (IMO) in 1988, the same year I also developed the Visual Meteor Database to collect visual meteor observations worldwide. I like to write and to edit meteor articles which I did for WGN, handbooks and 10 conference Proceedings and since 2016 for MeteorNews. I participate with 16 video cameras in the CAMS-BeNeLux network and in the Global Meteor Network. I make mainly meteor shower analysis based on meteor orbit data. Since years, I am no longer a member of any organization, including IMO which I created but which got ruined by lazy status hunters as president and board members who turned IMO into a faillure not worth any further attention. I prefer to focus on meteor work without being bothered by all the fuss of problematic organizational policies and poor performance of board members.
364 Posts
Ravi Jagtiani
Intrigued by the source of meteors and fireballs, Ravi is always on his toes to spot a space junk reentry and find out whodunnit. An amateur that got trapped in this predicament years ago when inquiring into reports of aliens and UFOs, only to find most reports leading to rational, explainable stimuli. Ever since , Ravi has been on a warpath to slay UFO hoaxers and save the deluded from gullibility. While there won’t be any hard-hitting analysis, do expect some exciting space media.
10 Posts
Richard Kacerek
Richard has been involved with astronomy for 30 years. Co-founded UK Meteor Network and is currently co-authoring Meteor News project. In addition, Richard is now also co-working on EDMOND catalogue archive.
9 Posts
Tim Cooper
Tim has been observing meteors since 1973, when he first observed the Geminids. While still at school he was mentored by the late Jack Bennett, then Director of the Comet and Meteor Section of the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa (ASSA). He is a past President and Honorary Member of ASSA, and for twenty years served as Director of its Comet, Asteroid and Meteor Section. Starting in 2017 he set up a few cameras as part of the global CAMS initiative in order to detect possible meteors from comet C/2015 D4 Borisov, and based on successful trials expanded this to the fully-functional CAMS South Africa which saw first light in June 2019. Despite all the digital instrumentation available today, his first love remains visual observing. In 1993 he began the Southern African Fireball Catalogue (SAFC), which now has over 400 investigated entries. His other interests are the visual observation of variable stars and scientific study of the umbra during lunar eclipses.
1 Post
July 2023
