The American Meteor Society, Ltd. (AMS) is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

scientific organization established to encourage and support the research activities of both amateur and professional

astronomers An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either obse ...

who are interested in the field of meteor astronomy. Its affiliates observe, monitor, collect data on, study, and report on

meteor A meteoroid () is a small rocky or metallic body in outer space. Meteoroids are defined as objects significantly smaller than asteroids, ranging in size from grains to objects up to a meter wide. Objects smaller than this are classified as mi ...

s, meteor showers, meteoric fireballs, and related meteoric phenomena. The society was founded in 1911 by Charles P. Olivier of the

Leander McCormick Observatory The Leander McCormick Observatory is one of the astronomical observatories operated by the Department of Astronomy of the University of Virginia, and is situated just outside Charlottesville, Virginia (US) in Albemarle County on the summit of M ...

. The initial enrollment was fifteen members. These were recruited by Dr. Olivier by letter. The first paper based on the observations of the members appeared in the ''Astronomical Journal'' in 1912, describing the η Aquarid meteor shower. In 1926, Dr. Olivier began to publish meteor notes from the society on a nearly monthly basis in ''Popular Astronomy'' magazine under the title "Monthly Notes". This continued until his editor, Curvin H. Gingrich, died. Some time prior to 1932, Dr. Olivier began appointing regional directors to facilitate the data collection for the society. A director was appointed to the Pacific Northwest region in 1932. Initially this consisted of Washington and Oregon states, but later came to include the western provinces of Canada plus Idaho and Montana. In 1938, the Canadian provinces were withdrawn from the society, while California was added. This western division was headquartered at the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

in Eugene. In 1960, Dr. Olivier published the first catalogue of hourly meteor rates based upon the data collected by the society members from 1901 to 1958. The second catalogue was published in 1965, which included data up to 1963. During the late 1970s, David Meisel became Executive Director of the society. The headquarters for the society was relocated to

Geneseo, New York Geneseo is a town in Livingston County in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. It is at the south end of the five-county Rochester Metropolitan Area. The population of the town was 10,483 at the 2010 census. The English name ...

. The society research was expanded to include radio meteor studies, then spectroscopy of meteors. The society publishes observations and scientific interpretations quarterly in '' Meteor Trails, The Journal of American Meteor Society''. Once per year they give the '' American Meteor Society Award'' to a person who has contributed to research on meteors. They also provide an annual research grant to a student of SUNY-Geneseo who has contributed to meteor research or to the AMS.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Amateur astronomy organizations Astronomy societies Scientific societies based in the United States 1911 establishments in the United States Scientific organizations established in 1911 Astronomy in the United States

See also

References

External links