American Meteor Society
The American Meteor Society, Ltd. is incorporated as a Not-For-Profit Corporation in the State of New York. Quoting from our certificate of incorporation, our purposes are:
- To encourage and promote research activities of both amateur and professional astronomers who are directly interested in meteoric astronomy.
- To observe, monitor, collect information, plot and report on meteors, meteoric fireballs, meteoric trains, and related meteoric phenomena.
- To publish scientific materials dealing with meteoric astronomy.
- To publish a newsletter dealing with meteoric astronomy.
- To carry on any other scientific or public service activities relating to meteoric astronomy.
The corporation is managed by a three-person board of directors: the Executive Director, the Secretary, and the Treasurer. Other staff appointments are made at the annual Board of Directors’ meeting. Operations Staff appointments include an Operations Manager, and coordinators for our Visual Program and Electronic Information Projects. The corporate office remains in Geneseo, New York.
Limitations to AMS Services
Since the AMS is a scientific society with limited funding and largely dependent on volunteer services, there are a number of things we cannot do or provide. We are limited by our incorporation to activities related to meteoric astronomy and have no information to distribute on stars, planets, galaxies, etc. These may be obtained from one of the many excellent books available on astronomy, or by contacting a local planetarium or astronomical society.
We do not deal in any way with meteorites or micrometeorites nor give out information as to how to recognize or hunt for them. Objects suspected of being meteorites such should be taken to a large public planetarium or museum for examination and referral to reputable dealers. We likewise do not have a program of micrometeorite collection and cannot offer any support for this.