[meteorite-list] Russia's First Static Meteor Observing Station is Opened in Siberia

[Ron Baalke]

http://siberiantimes.com/science/casestudy/news/n0471-russias-first-static-meteor-observing-station-is-opened-in-siberia/

Russia's First Static Meteor Observing Station is Opened in Siberia
The Siberian Times 
28 October 2015

One early visitor: a fireball streaking across the sky and splashing into 
Lake Baikal.

The station is in remote Tunka valley, in the Republic of Buryatia, an 
ideal vantage point for observing incoming meteors because of the absence 
of artificial lighting. Created by the astronomical observatory of the 
Irkutsk State University (ISU), it operates from two unmanned modules 
some 58 kilometres apart. 

This allows researchers to observe the same meteor from two different 
locations, and to measure its size, light energy, direction, weight of 
meteoric particles and other parameters, more precisely. 

[Photo]
It operates from two unmanned modules some 58 kilometres apart.  Picture: 
The Siberian Times

Kirill Ivanov, researcher at ISU's observatory, explained that the cameras 
are pointed in such a way that the centres of their field of view match 
at a height of about 100 km. 'They ensure maximum overlap of the field 
of view, two thirds, at a height of about 80-120 km. The data is stored 
in industrial computers.' On a clear night, the equipment has registered 
up to 40 meteorites.

On 22 October, two weeks after the facility opened it recorded recorded 
a bright fireball, flying from west to east, over the mountains of Mongolia 
and Buryatia. Having originated in the Asteroid Belt, the meteorite's 
journey ended as it sank into the waters of Lake Baikal, about 1 km from 
the shore, and 17 km from the village of Bolshoye Goloustnoye.

'Most likely that meteorite fell under the 'bad' influence of Jupiter, 
and away from its 'true path',' said Ivanov. Its initial mass was around 
one kilogram, its size - about 10 centimetres. This meteorite  - shown 
in the video here - was also spotted by locals. 

A key research aim is to expand our knowledge of the meteors, their characteristics 
and paths. In November researchers plan to observe the prolific Leonid 
meteor shower. This occurs when the Earth crosses the orbital path of 
Comet Tempel-Tuttle. The comet litters its orbit with fragments of bits 
of debris which enter the Earth's atmosphere and vaporise.