The AMS Since 1911

The American Meteor Society was founded in 1911 by the late Dr. Charles P. Olivier as an offshoot of the American Astronomical Society (AAS). Dr. Olivier’s goal was to organize a collaborative effort between amateur and professional astronomers to conduct visual observations of both meteor showers and meteors appearing at random (sporadic meteors). Over his 65-year career, Dr. Olivier attracted a wide variety of observers who helped him explore a number of areas within “classical” meteoric astronomy.

Dr. Olivier’s work revolved around the individual visual meteor observer, usually an amateur astronomer, who joined the AMS with the understanding that he or she would, as occasion permitted, submit observations of meteors and related phenomena. During the visual program’s heyday, the AMS consisted of hundreds of such amateur observers, directed by volunteer regional coordinators and often organized into statewide affiliate groups. Over the years, the observations submitted by these affiliate members served as the basis for hundreds of short scientific papers, along with a score of long, important works, printed in various astronomical journals, AMS bulletins, and parts of several observatory publications. Dr. Olivier’s 1925 professional text, Meteors, has become one of the classic reference sources for this field.

During the 1950s, the advent of more sophisticated techniques and a shift in emphasis in the professional community toward photographic and radar techniques led Dr. Olivier to shift the AMS research emphasis to a long-term statistical study of the sporadic meteor flux. Containing many years of previous observations, the AMS Visual Database formed the basis for four catalogs giving the average visual meteor rates seen for each hour of the night during the year (Olivier, 1960, 1965, 1974a, and 1974b). Three of these catalogs were for the Northern Hemisphere and one for the Southern Hemisphere. The Northern Hemisphere catalogs covered the periods 1901–1958, 1959–1963, and 1964–1972. Dr. Olivier continued this work throughout his retirement and was completing the manuscript for a fifth catalogue at the time of his death in 1976.

Only ten days before his death, Dr. Olivier passed the leadership of the AMS to Dr. David D. Meisel. Dr. Meisel had literally grown up within the AMS, conducting amateur observations as a teenager before pursuing a professional career in astronomy. Following receipt of his Ph.D. from Ohio State University, Dr. Meisel continued to collaborate with Dr. Olivier in the area of comet and meteor studies, and the two developed a close working relationship and friendship.

Upon receiving the mantle, Dr. Meisel’s first challenge was to secure a suitable home and headquarters for the AMS. Dr. Meisel’s institution, the State University of New York, College at Geneseo, graciously accepted the organization, and since 1976 the AMS headquarters have been located in its Department of Physics and Astronomy. For some 17 years, the public-service and scientific activities of the AMS were supported in part by SUNY Geneseo as part of the College’s astronomy program.

These first years of Dr. Meisel’s leadership were difficult ones for the AMS. The professional community was turning away from meteor work of any sort, and, given the meager funds then available, the organization was only able to continue a few of Dr. Olivier’s original goals. Nonetheless, the AMS continued to have a dedicated staff of amateur coordinators to help with its various modest research programs. The expenses for these programs were often paid by the coordinators themselves, with no help from the Society, and it was this volunteer effort that kept the AMS going during this difficult transition period.

One such effort, the AMS Radio Scatter Program, was founded in 1977. The Kansas Meteor Group of the AMS, led by Walter Scott Houston, had conducted pioneering radio-meteor experiments in the late 1950s. Much work was done in the professional community on radio and radar meteor observation, and by the late 1970s advances in technology made sensitive receiving equipment practical for amateur use. The formal AMS program began to explore a new avenue through which amateur scientists could contribute to meteor astronomy beyond traditional visual observations. Many promising experiments were conducted in this area throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, with a working automated station developed by 1993.

Also in 1993, the organization became the American Meteor Society, Ltd., thanks to a generous permanent endowment from the estate of Dr. Clinton B. Ford. In the United States, Dr. Ford was a well-known supporter of amateur astronomy with a particular interest in variable stars. Throughout his lifetime, he was a member of the AMS, having started observing meteors as a boy. His generosity made possible the reorganization and modernization of the AMS. This structure enabled the Society to further the cause of meteor science for many years to come while continuing the tradition of amateur-professional collaboration.

Since 2015, Mike Hankey, AMS Operations Manager, has helped lead the continued development and maintenance of the AMS website. Vincent Perlerin develops and maintains its technical platform, helping the Society make its resources and services accessible to a much wider audience.

The original AMS Fireball Report program has continued online with tremendous success, receiving several thousand reports each year. Robert Lunsford has actively participated in bringing the website to life and continues to review and manage the incoming fireball reports. Together, their work helps ensure that the AMS remains a valuable resource for the public and the meteor-observing community.