Progress of Radar Observations of Meteors in Kazan (Russia) over the Last Sixty Years

Abstract

This paper presents a brief survey on the history of radar observations of meteors in Kazan from 1950s to present days. Such achievements of Kazan researchers as development and further improvement of original measuring equipment and antenna systems, of observational data processing methods, their contribution to the theory of physics of meteor phenomena and theoretical interpretation of experimental data are highlighted. A particular progress in meteor astronomy has been achieved with a new discrete quasi-tomoghraphic method for faint meteor showers identification that uses goniometer data of meteor radio reflections detected on radar as input data. The current state and new horizons of meteor studies in Kazan are stated.

Radio meteor physics – a comparison between techniques from 1945 to the mid-1970's

“…Kazan's developments have been summarized in particular by [4]. It was formally the first meteor radar in the USSR, where work started in 1957, although observers at Kharkiv did see some meteors on an ionosonde in 1954.…”

“…21,22]. Extensive discussion about this site has been presented [4]; these authors also discussed more recent developments of the site, including incorporation of a more modern facility in 2013.…”

“…Since Kazan's developments have been well discussed [4], we turn to the site at Kharkiv. The Kharkiv researchers, under the direction of B.L.…”

“…were developed in the years following the IGY. The first radar in the USSR was developed in Kazan [4] by Kostylev in 1957, followed by one in the Ukraine at Kharkiv, led by Kashcheyev. We will return to these events shortly.…”