[meteorite-list] A Twisted Meteor Trail Over Tenerife

[Matson, Robert D.]

Hi Sterling,

> If there was a "bump" during the last few seconds of a 1-minute
exposure,
> the exposure of the right-most 97% of the trail would be 97% complete
--
> and straight. Only the left end would be "wiggled." Wiggling of the
right
> end would be very, very faint, if visible at all. Not a bump.

I'm not sure I follow you. A bump (and the meteor) could have occurred
at
any time during the exposure, not just the beginning or end.

> However, the sinusoidal "motion" can be traced back to the start of
the
> trail. There are slightly more than 8 full cycles recorded, each of
> increasing amplitude.

*Increasing* amplitude? So you are suggesting that the meteor was rising
as seen by the observer? While this is certainly possible (e.g. a very
shallow entry angle), it is far more likely that the meteor was moving
left to right in this image, not right to left. I believe the bump
(whether by wind, bat, bug, human or magna) occurred a little before
the meteor first appeared, perfectly explaining the appearance of the
trail:  high initial amplitude, damped down to nothing after 8 or 9
cycles.  --Rob