PREDNASAJUCI / LECTURER :

Mária Hajduková

(1) Astronomical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences,
059 60 Tatranská Lomnica

NAZOV / TITLE :

Precision and accuracy of meteor data

ABSTRAKT / ABSTRACT :

Data reliability is indicated by their uncertainties, which establish the limits for
interpreting the results. Increasingly, meteor databases provide uncertainties that
demonstrate sufficient accuracy. Nevertheless, misclassification of orbits can occur
if uncertainties are underestimated, or more precisely, if they only reflect the
precision of the parameters - the deviations in measurements and calculations within
the data reduction procedures - rather than their actual accuracy.

The precision level of data acquired and processed by meteor networks can be evaluated
by analyzing the uncertainties provided in their catalogs, particularly of the geocentric
quantities that directly influence orbit determination. Assessing the accuracy of meteor
data, however, is more complex, as it can be affected by simplifications in certain
procedures (often unknown) within the data processing pipeline. Hence, it may occur that
reported high-precision orbits do not represent high-accuracy orbits. We demonstrate this
issue using various datasets and aim to provide a general tool for identifying any
underestimation of the uncertainties in the meteor parameters.