In 2001, a citizen science effort resulted in a system of all-sky cameras, many mounted on the rooftops of schools around the state and one atop the Museum. Their purpose is to record the appearance of bright fireballs in the night sky so the trajectories of the meteorites might be determined and the objects perhaps found. In addition to helping locate fresh meteorite falls, all-sky cameras can provide valuable information about the kind of meteors you might see on any clear night and annual meteor showers.
Through our association with Cloudbait Observatory, bright fireballs are actively investigated, both in the interest of determining the original orbit and of recovering any possible meteorites that might be produced. If you live in Colorado or the surrounding states and have recently seen a very bright meteor, please report it here.
The all-sky cameras are in place to record and supplement witness reports. If you witnessed a meteor and are curious if it was recorded, try the real-time meteor log that lists all events captured by the Cloudbait camera as they occur. These events are normally processed into the main database each morning.
A general overview of fireballs can be found here.
