QN Postings

We just had a unique QuarkNet regional meeting on Long Island: MAST 2006. The idea is simple: we can use Icom 1500 radio receivers connected to computers and home made dipole antennas to observe meteors by their ability to bounce radio waves. The technique is called "passive radar" and is integral to the MARIACHI program from Brookhaven Lab. We gathered at Suffolk County Community College, where Mike Inglis (Astronomy Instructor) gave us an overview of meteors, Helio Takai (BNL QuarkNet mentor) talked about MARIACHI and passive radar, and Bob Warasila (Physics Instructor) showed us a collection of meteorite fragments. We then went to a physics lab, where Gerry Schnal (Physics Instructor) helped us build our dipole antennas.
Soon we had a small antenna farm outside the Smithtown Science Building connected to radios and computers; Helio helped with software and by the end of the day four units were up and running and seeing meteor trails. Even more impressive, they saw the same signals at the same time -- fourfold coincidence that was no coincidence!

At the end of the day the dipoles were dismantled and four teachers each walked away with a complete set consisting of an antenna and a receiver. Two went to the Boston area, one stayed went to Sachem High School on Long Island, and one went to Westchester County, New York. They will form a network to observe meteor trails long term and calibrate with each other. Next step: passive radar observation of cosmic ray air showers, if it can be done!