Constraining the mass of meteoroids entering the atmosphere

Cosmic objects, predominantly small meteoroids, frequently interact with Earth's atmosphere, and often go undetected due to their small size. Thus, to better understand the nature of these objects, we need to deploy networks of detectors which track their atmospheric disintegration [1]. This study delves into techniques for measuring the pre-atmospheric mass of meteoroids with known trajectories, some of which were the subject of successful meteorite recovery campaigns. Among the studied methods, we found that the radiated light of the meteoroid disintegration is the most reliable method of estimating its kinetic energy and pre-atmospheric mass [2]. This relation in combination with currently expanding fireball networks [3] can be used to calibrate other methods of estimating the objects mass (e.g. radio, infrasound). Ultimately, by constraining the size and frequency of small meteoroids, we can make inferences about the formation, evolution, and distribution of small objects and debris in the Solar System.

 

References:

[1] Colas F. et al. (2020) Astronomy & Astrophysics 644:A53.  [2] Anghel S. et al. (2021) Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 508:571. [3] Vida D. et al. (2021) Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 506:5046.