The Western Meteor Physics Group studies meteors, meteoroids, meteorites and fireballs — their origins, their passage through Earth's atmosphere, and what they reveal about the small bodies of the solar system.
Based in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at Western University, the group operates radar, optical, infrasound and all-sky camera systems to observe meteors and bright fireballs, and develops models of meteoroid ablation, entry and orbital evolution.
Research areas
Meteor Infrasound
Detecting bolides with low-frequency sound; the Elginfield array.
Meteor Radar (CMOR)
The Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar and meteoroid orbit surveys.
Fireball Measurements
Bright fireballs, meteorite falls and recovery campaigns.
All-Sky Camera Network
Automated all-sky detection of meteors and fireballs.
Electro-Optical & CAMO
High-resolution optical observation and the Canadian Automated Meteor Observatory.
Meteor Entry Modelling
Modelling ablation and fragmentation during atmospheric entry.
Orbital Dynamics
Formation and evolution of meteoroid streams.
Notable fireball events
- Grand Bend — 25 Jan 2018
- Chelyabinsk, Russia — 15 Feb 2013
- Selwyn — 12 Dec 2011
- Grimsby — 25 Sep 2009
- Newmarket — 16 Mar 2009
- Guelph — 15 Oct 2008
- Park Forest — 27 Mar 2003
- Tagish Lake — 18 Jan 2000
- Peekskill — 9 Oct 1992