If you’d like to set up your own camera there are a few options.
GMN Cameras
If you want to contribute to UKMON, then buying the parts for a GMN camera costs about £200 (inc VAT) and you can build it yourself as explained here. It may also still be possible to buy pre-assembled cameras from a European vendor for around €520 (ex VAT) -see this link on the GMN website.
One GMN camera covers about a sixth of the sky, although its also possible to run multiple cameras from one computer – if you like a challenge.
If you set up a camera and want to contribute to the UK Meteor Network please contact us.
Due to changes in UK and EU law, we’re no longer able to sell camera kits to you, however they’re easy to build if you have some DIY skills and a little familiarity with Linux. You can find full instructions and a list of parts here at the Global Meteor Networks website.
Once the camera is set up, it pretty much runs itself though you should keep an eye on it to make sure its working properly. You can review the data and images each day and share on social media. Your data will also feed into the UK and Global Meteor Networks where it’ll be used to work out orbits and trajectories. You can see the camera output here, and the solved trajectories here.
Other Options
The GMN cameras produce monochrome images. If you want colour images, or you want 100% coverage of the sky from one system, the Allsky7 is a good choice. This costs about €1350 (ex VAT) for a ready-to-run system sent from Germany. However, AllSky7 cameras cannot directly contribute data to UKMON.
If you’re interested in one of these systems in the UK, please contact AllSky7CameraEnquiry@ukfall.org.uk.
Another solution is the SCAMP/FRIPON system. This system is designed more for fireballs and uses a single camera with a very wide-angle lens to provide a view of the whole sky.
For more information on the FRIPON project, see https://www.fripon.org/.
AllSky7 and SCAMP cameras do not contribute to the UK Meteor Network though we do share data in the event of a potential meteorite dropping fireball.
