Meteors in the Ionosphere

When meteors enter the lower E region of the ionosphere, they produce trails of ionization. Sensitive radio systems at frequencies of 3 to 300 mc can record echoes from these ionized trails at rates of thousands per hour. Study of these echoes has benefited astronomy, the physics of the upper atmosphere, and radio communication. This paper presents a review of the nature of meteoric echoes, and describes the principal uses of meteors as research tools. Some of the directions in which further meteoric research may prove profitable are suggested as well. When the results of the IGY programs are correlated, we may expect the knowledge gained from the study of meteors to play an important role.