Table of Contents

1. General Information about Meteoric Phenomena.- 2. Historical Review of Research in Meteor Physics.- I. The Simple Physical Theory of Meteors.- 3. Fundamental Equations.- 4. Self-Similarity of the Problem of Motion and Ablation of a Meteoroid.- 5. The Problem of Meteoroid Motion with Variable Coefficients.- 6. Flow Regimes.- 7. Parameters of the Fundamental Equations.- II. The Heating of Meteoroids and the Onset of Vaporization.- 8. The Heating of a Meteoroid in the Upper Section of its Path.- 9. The Transition to Intensive Evaporation.- 10. Shielding Effects. The Regime of First Collisions.- 11. Shielding in the Transition Regime.- 12. The Case of Strong Shielding.- III. Ablation of Meteoroids.- 13. Two Main Mechanisms of Ablation: Vaporization and Spraying or Blowoff of the Molten Layer.- 14. Experimental Studies of Ablation.- 15. Theoretical Studies of the Ablation of Large Bodies.- 16. Large-Meteoroid Vaporization under the Influence of the Radiation Flux.- 17. Formation of an Ablational Shock Wave and the Energetics of Large Meteoroids.- 18. Ablation and Meteorite Morphology.- IV. Luminosities and Spectra of Meteors.- 19. The Nature of Meteor Radiation.- 20. The Luminosity Equation and its Parameters.- 21. Experimental Determinations of the Radiative Efficiency.- 22. The Effect of Meteoroid Flight Condition on the Radiative Efficiency.- 23. The Qualitative Analysis of Meteor Spectra.- 24. The Quantitative Analysis of Meteor Spectra. The Curve-of-Growth Method.- 25. Determination of the Chemical Compositions of Meteoroids from their Spectra. Comparison with Meteorites.- 26. Some Unusual Emissions.- V. Meteoric Ionization.- 27. Formation of the Ion Trail.- 28. Classification of Meteor Ion Trails.- 29. Disintegration of the Ion Trail.- 30. The Head Echo and its Relation to other Phenomena.- VI. Masses and Densities of Meteoroids.- 31. Dynamic Masses.- 32. Photometric Masses.- 33. The Hypothesis of Dustballs and Friable Meteoric Bodies.- 34. Explanation of the “Mass Paradox” as an Effect of Fragmentation.- 35. Determination of the Mineralogical Densities of the Meteoroids.- 36. Determination of the Densities of Large Meteoroids from their Breakup Heights.- VII. Fragmentation of Meteoroids.- 37. Observational Data on Meteoroid Fragmentation.- 38. Effect of Fragmentation on the Photometric Curve.- 39. Meteor Bursts.- 40. Fragmentation of Meteorites.- 41. Physical Aspects of Meteoroid Fragmentation.- Appendixes to the English Editions.- 1. A Quasi-Simple Ablation Model for the Entry of Large Meteoroids into the Atmosphere.- 2. Transfer of the Shock-Wave Radiation to the Body of the Meteoroid.- 3. Electrophonic Phenomena during the Flight of a Bright Bolide.- 4. The Dynamics of Meteoroid Breakup.- References for Appendixes.- References.