At the Mira Public Observatory, on the other hand, they have found a solution to still be able to follow the meteor shower, full moon or not full moon, rain or shine.
The technique we use is radio waves, Mollet said, and that technique is unaffected by clouds or rain and can be used during the day, in bright light, and at night.
The folks at the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Uccle have set up a radio transmitter in the south of the country that sends a signal straight up. And if something flies over it, an airplane for example or now especially those meteors, then that signal will be reflected very briefly and that reflection can be picked up by an antenna on Mira’s rooftop, Mollet said.
And since Mira is a public observatory and the idea is that it should be accessible to everyone, everyone can follow it on Youtube. Mira has been posting normal pictures every 5 minutes on its website for years, but the heaviest part of life is done only during exceptional events like this meteor shower.
On the Mira’s youtube channel according to Mollet you will have the two signals, the visual one and the sound one. After all, the reflections are converted by the computer into a sound signal, a short “ping” or “pling”. Sometimes, if it’s a very bright meteor, it will continue to glow for a few seconds after flashing, and according to Mollet, you’ll simultaneously see it on screen and hear it in the audio cue as well. Find Mira’s “BRAMS meteor detector”. here on Youtube.
