Day time meteor on seen on WSPR

[VK5PJ]

Hello,
with the increased activity on 50MHz WSPR in the last 2 months, the ability to monitor stable signals over many paths has become available to us all. As I am working around the place putting up a plaster board ceiling in the shack (a long and dusty story), I have been taking rest breaks to look at what's going on with WSPR and rest my arms and have a drink.

One thing that has come of my observations is the sheer number of meteor ping and burns that can be seen in the WSPR display during the day. While these events do not add any value to those using WSPR (some might say its annoying as it corrupts WSPR decodes) it is interesting to see how often they occur in what is often thought to be a low time for meteor activity.

While this may be no surprise to others, I did think it worthy of posting and seeing what others had to say about their experiences with day time meteors.

Regards,
Peter, vk5pj

[VK1JA]

G'day Peter,

It amazes me as well, looking at my WSPR waterfall screen right now I can see three MS bursts on 6m, one at 00:50 and two others at 00:52.

It's got me wanting to try MS now!

Cheers

Jayson

[VK2KRR]

Hi Pete,

I think people think there are less meteors after the sun comes up, but its possibly because many are hidden by extra sun noise and other interference after people get out of bed.

Before Renmark TV was closed (RIP) I used to monitor it most of the day on the vision 138 MHz I think it was. Meteors any time of the day or night.

Today at 10.27am got a meteor AIS signal from ship Mignon @ 1729 km middle of Bight.
Also another meteor AIS signal at 11.33am from ship Pilot Vessel Normancarr @ 783 km, just over the hill from you.

No doubt there are peak time periods etc, but they do come flying through when ever they feel like it.

[VK3NFI]

Maybe next time try grab a screenshot and post it up for the guys that don't know
what to look for on the waterfall ( some of us are still newbies to wspr and the waterfall)

[VK2KRR]

Dean, here is one I got from VK3XPT download/file.php?id=3074&mode=view
But they come in many different shapes and sizes, dopplers etc.

[VK4UH]

Meteors do indeed enter the atmosphere at all hours of the day and night. There is a peak in the return rates (pings and burns) just before dawn and a corresponding dip 12 hours later. This is more to do with the entry velocity of the rocks (actually most are grain of sand size) than the actual number of meteors.

There is an optimum size and velocity for meteors to create the ionized trails which refract and scatter the signals back to earth. Below a certain velocity they do not burn up at the height of the E layer (100 km) and do not produce the required ionisation

On the dawn/morning side of the globe the surface of the earth is "turning into" the interplanetary dust clouds ahead of the planets orbit and so the velocity of the earths surface, as it rotates, is ADDED to the velocity of the meteors. The meteors appear to be moving faster

On the dusk/afternoon side, the earth rotation is turning away from the earths orbit so the surface velocity is SUBTRACTED from the velocity of the meteors making them appear to move slower.

Its the same analogy as bugs hitting the windscreen of a car. You don't find to many stuck to the back window

Kevin VK4UH

[VK2KRR]

Dean

This is a capture taken from WSPR-x waterfall just now on 6m band. Arrow in the 0212 time slot shows all meteor signals.

6m Meteors

[VK4UH]

Thats a great trace leigh