The American Meteor Society

• Weekly Meteor Activity Outlook, A short newsletter containing the latest information on upcoming meteor shower activity. Written by Robert Lunsford.

• 2008 Meteor Shower Calendar, Lists meteor showers and their activity periods for 2008. Compiled by Robert Lunsford.

• Viewing Activity from the 2008 Delta Aquariid and Perseid Meteor Showers, By Robert Lunsford, AMS Operations Manager

• 2008 Fireball Sightings Table, Lists fireballs sightings for 2008. Compiled by Robert Lunsford.

• 2008 Video Meteor Observations , By Robert Lunsford, AMS Operations Manager

• The Early Years of Meteor Observations in the USA , By Richard Taibi, AMS Staff Advisor on History

• Meteor Studies at Majden Observatory, featuring the work of amateur meteor spectroscopist, Edward Majden.

• An Audio Gallery of Radiometeor Events, showcases the unusual radio sounds created as ionized meteor trails reflect the transmitted signals of television stations far below. Compiled by James Richardson.

• AMS Observer Profiles, Noteworthy observers among the AMS membership. Started in September 2006, members will be added on a quarterly basis. Compiled by Kim Youmans.

...in British Columbia, an observer will monitor his homemade meteor spectrograph, hoping to catch another rare spectrum of a meteor making its fiery plunge into the atmosphere. In Florida, another observer will operate his radio observatory, using home-brew computerized data acquisition equipment to catch the death cries of asteroidal sand grains and cometary balls of fluff blazing to glory at many miles per second. In Georgia, Iowa, California, Hawaii, and elsewhere, observers armed with only the simplest of equipment -- their bare eyes, a good watch, and a tape recorder-- will marvel at the beauty of the dark night sky while recording the parameters of each of the 10 or 15 sporadic meteors they see each hour. On a major shower night they may be busy recording a hundred or more meteors per hour! In Puerto Rico, a professional astronomer will use the giant Arecibo radio telecope in a radar mode to explore the world of micrometeoroids, the dust left over from the creation of our solar system -- and perhaps other star systems.

Beyond their love of the night sky and meteor science, these diverse individuals have one thing in common: they are all affiliates of the American Meteor Society, Ltd.

Welcome to the web pages of the AMS. We are an organization of amateur and professional meteor scientists and observers founded in 1911, with a common goal of studying meteors: - bright fireballs, the annual meteor showers, and the random sporadic meteors that appear every night. It's an exciting field, where amateurs equipped only with their eyes, a watch, and a tape recorder can make valuable scientific observations.

Anyone, regardless of prior knowledge or skill, interested in observing meteors and advancing meteor science is welcome to become an affiliate of the AMS. We also welcome casual browsers just looking for information on meteor showers; please look through the many resources available on our site for you.

As we approach our 100th anniversary, we invite everyone to join us on our journey in exploring meteor science - the most exciting field in astronomy.

Last Modified: July 18, 2008