Orbital elements and emission spectrum of a Comae Berenicids fireball

Abstract

The Comae Berenicids (COM) is a minor meteor shower with an activity period that extends from Dec. 12 to January 23 and a maximum around the end of December. This shower was tentatively linked to comet 1913 I (Lowe), but this object was so poorly observed that its existence was not confirmed [1, 2]. By simultaneously imaging meteors belonging to this shower, we can obtain precise physicochemical parameters that can provide a better understanding of the Comae Berenicids meteoroids stream. These include, for instance, radiant and orbit information. But, besides, bright events allow us to register the emission spectrum produced when meteoroids ablate in the atmosphere, and this can provide useful information related to the chemical composition of these particles of interplanetary matter [3, 4, 5, 6]. Nowadays, the SPanish Meteor Network (SPMN) monitors the night sky from 27 meteor observing stations located in the Iberian Peninsula. We have the advantage of more favourable weather conditions during December and January when compared to other areas in the northern hemisphere and, so, this provides good conditions to analyze the Comae Berenicids during the activity period of this shower. We present here the analysis of a three-station Comae Berenicids fireball with an absolute magnitude of about -8±1 imaged on January 14, 2011.