MSU joins NASA All Sky Fireball Network

Morehead State University has recently joined sites throughout the eastern and southern U.S. as part of the NASA All Sky Fireball Network.

The network is coordinated by NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office (MEO). The MEO equips network sites with black and white cameras which will have a full view of the sky overhead and will observe objects in the night sky which are brighter than the planet Venus, called fireballs.

The cameras at each site will have an overlapping view with those nearby, allowing measurement of the height and speed of meteors. The data collected can be used to create models of the meteor environment in Earth’s vicinity, which aids space craft engineers in designing space vehicles.

The meteor and cloud cover data collected through the All Sky Fireball Network can be mined for research purposes by students and faculty in Morehead State’s Department of Mathematics, Computer Science and Physics.

MSU Physics professors Ignacio and Jennifer Birriel initially applied for membership in the All Sky Fireball Network in 2013. Jennifer Birriel said inclusion in the network will aid in research she and Ignacio are currently working on involving artificial skyglow. The University of Kentucky and the Cincinnati Observatory Center have also been included in the network.