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Best direction and altitude to point a fixed camera?

 
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Meteor Hunter



登録日: 2010.02.13
記事: 36

記事日時: Sat Feb 13, 2010 1:38 pm    記事の件名: Best direction and altitude to point a fixed camera? 引用付きで返信

Hi All,

You may well laugh at this question, but I am interested in other people’s experience with positioning a fixed camera. i.e. what is the best direction and altitude to point my camera to detect meteors and other atmospheric events?

Some background:
- The camera is a Astrovid Fireball Camera (see other post) in a weather proof housing
- I live in Singapore, but the camera is in Australia so I will be aiming to automate the system as much as possible. I can remotely login and transfer files, control UFO Capture etc.
- The camera is permanently installed at my parents house, I can ask them to wipe the dome lens occasionally when it gets dirty (it rains dust in Melbourne sometimes). I don’t want to impose on them to have to move it from one location to another. It might be possible to rotate it occasionally from say, north to south, depending on where I mount it.
- I am currently planning on running it at night only so will probably automate the power on and off for the PC and camera system to conserve power.

The considerations that I have so far are:
- Light pollution
- Mean paths of the Sun and Moon (will probably have to avoid the Sun if I power off the camera, as the auto-iris may stay open)
- Trees
- Security (i.e. visibility from street where someone can take my camera for as ‘souvenir’)
- Accessibility to clean the dome from dust

I may have partly answered my own questions as I wrote them with respect to avoiding the Moon and the Sun. It seems like my choices are South-West, South, South-East. The max altitude at my latitude (~37degrees) to avoid the mean Sun and Moon paths I would guess could be up to 90 degrees, i.e. pointing at the zenith.

An advantage of pointing south is that I could keep some circumpolar stars in the FOV which might be handy when it comes to analysing meteor paths in UFO Analyser.

Any thoughts? What direction/altitude have others mounted their fixed cameras?

- Daniel
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SonotaCo
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登録日: 2004.08.07
記事: 12653
所在地: 139.67E 35.65N

記事日時: Sat Feb 13, 2010 2:20 pm    記事の件名: Re: Best direction and altitude to point a fixed camera? 引用付きで返信

Meteor Hunter wrote:
I may have partly answered my own questions as I wrote them with respect to avoiding the Moon and the Sun. It seems like my choices are South-West, South, South-East. The max altitude at my latitude (~37degrees) to avoid the mean Sun and Moon paths I would guess could be up to 90 degrees, i.e. pointing at the zenith.

Your answer sounds quite reasonable and appropriate.
About the auto iris of the lens, I guess may be you can confirm it by yourself.
Looking into the lens, and power on and off, then you may be able to recognize the iris movement.
Usually, iris is closed when its power is off. But it is serious problem so you should confirm it of course.

As for the altitude (elevation angle), in my experience,
the number of captured meteors is not so different.
Generally, hi altitude near the zenith, the transparency of the sky is good and you will get more faint meteors.
But you cannot know the fire balls that happened very far. It will be out of FOV.
If you aim low altitude, you will annoy about the transparency sometime, but you will get far far events.
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登録日: 2004.08.07
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所在地: 139.67E 35.65N

記事日時: Sat Mar 20, 2010 6:30 am    記事の件名: Re: Best direction and altitude to point a fixed camera? 引用付きで返信

Recently, I am preparing some presentations for MODWG03 in this april.
http://www.rssd.esa.int/MODWS03

There I found the dependancy of number of observation on the elevation angle(altitude) of the camera.
I posted the graph below.
http://sonotaco.jp/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2245

It seems, the actual observing area size is deeply concerns.
Compared with zenith direction, middle elevation angle camera views much wider area at 100km height.
(for 45 to 90 degrees FOV cameras)

I will post my presentations here after the meeting.
Sorry for late response. Last night this topic appeared in my dream. Then I remenver Wink



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Meteor Hunter



登録日: 2010.02.13
記事: 36

記事日時: Sat Apr 24, 2010 8:54 pm    記事の件名: 引用付きで返信

Hi SonotaCo,

I think your graph makes sense. Meteors occur when a meteoroid travels through the Earth's atmosphere, and creates a streak of visible light. Your graph indicates altitude of 80km to 120km above sea level where those events usually occur. As such, as we are looking at events that only occur at those altitudes, effectively for a given FOV, the more you move away from the zenith, the more viewing area we will see.

I hadn't really thought about that aspect until now, so do please post your presentations when they are ready so we can learn more. Smile

_________________
- Daniel

----------------------------------------
http://meteorhunter.blogspot.com/
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登録日: 2004.08.07
記事: 12653
所在地: 139.67E 35.65N

記事日時: Sat Apr 24, 2010 10:23 pm    記事の件名: 引用付きで返信

Meteor Hunter wrote:
so do please post your presentations when they are ready so we can learn more. Smile

Well, my presentations are liked from below.
http://www.sciops.esa.int/index.php?project=CONF2010&page=MOD03_agenda

B.T.W. There are many other presentetions of this meeting that is not liked yet.
There many people were expecting the observation of southern half.
So if you attend the next IMC in the Ireland on this September, you will be wellcomed a lot Very Happy .
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Meteor Hunter



登録日: 2010.02.13
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記事日時: Wed Apr 28, 2010 12:43 am    記事の件名: 引用付きで返信

Thank you for the link, that's the kind of detail I have been looking for above and beyond equipment and software information. There is lots of information to go through and I hope the rest of the presenters will post their material.

Your concluding comments in your presentation regarding 'cooperation with non-professional scientists' is spot on. Being an amateur astronomer and student (doing my Masters course with Swinburne Astronomy Online - SAO) that would mean non-professional people like me. Of course there are significant contributions from amateur astronomers in many areas, such as variable star observation and supernova chasing, to name a few. I would say meteor hunting is lesser known, but equally as fun - and you don't have to endure the cold nights and mosquitoes.

As for attending the next IMC, I may consider if I can fit it into my schedule.

_________________
- Daniel

----------------------------------------
http://meteorhunter.blogspot.com/
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