Posted on 11/17/2001 5:53:42 PM PST by DCBryan1
At 4 am I will probably be dreaming about the meteor shower, but I will try to catch all I can before my eyelids involuntarily close. Happy hunting!
Actually, I heard that the shower will be at it's peak at 5 am Eastern/4 am your (our) time. You in East Texas?
Scientists are predicting the most spectacular meteor shower in our lifetime will occur this weekend when the Leonid meteors appear over North America.
The meteors are streaks of light from the bits of debris, or meteoroids, from the Comet Tempel-Tuttle, which orbits the sun every 33 years. The meteors arrive every year in mid-November as the Earth plows through what is usually a thin section of the comet's debris.
A few years during each orbit, the comet sweeps close to the sun, whose heat causes it to shed more debris. That produces a storm of meteors - or shooting stars. North America is a prime viewing spot this year.
The following is a Q&A about the celestial show.
Q: When will the meteor shower appear and what will it look like?
A: It is expected to peak during a half-hour shortly after 5 a.m. EST Sunday on the East Coast, 2 a.m. PST on the West Coast. Most of us know meteors as shooting stars, streaks of white light. The most optimistic prediction for North America is for 70 a minute, or 4,200 in an hour.
Q. Where should I go to watch them?
A. Head to a dark location far from city lights. The meteors will appear to radiate from east to west.
Q. Is it dangerous to watch them?
A. No, the biggest meteoroids are the size of rice grains and they burn up far from Earth.
Q. Will I need binoculars?
A. No, you can see them with the naked eye. But if the sky is cloudy, you probably won't see them.
Q. Will this be the biggest meteor shower in recent history?
A. No. In 1966, observers couldn't count the shooting stars fast enough. Estimates ranged as high as 150,000 per hour.
Q. How did the Leonids get their name?
A. They appear to radiate from the constellation Leo, the Lion.
Q. Do meteors have any scientific value?
A. Yes. Comets are hurtling balls of ice and debris from the birth of the solar system more than 4 billion years ago. Comet particles contain basic elements like iron, as well as carbon-based molecules.
``The chemical precursors to life - found in comet dust - may well have survived a plunge into early Earth's atmosphere,'' says NASA scientist Peter Jenniskens.
- On the Net: Meteor shower parties: http://leonid.arc.nasa.gov/
We've got our lawn chairs ready, our nice,warm blankets, and our coffee pot will be all set and ready to go just as soon as we get up at 4:15 am!!
We live in southern IN, near Louisville - and so far the sky is fairly clear.
I'm NOT going to miss THIS one. I ALWAYS seem to miss all these spectacular sky events - northern lights, Haley's Comet, you name it, I've MISSED it! Well - not THIS time!!
I'll probably check back in here on FR after the show -unless I collapse back into bed. :)
ENJOY THE SHOW!
I can hardly believe that after raining all week it's a cold clear night here in the Seattle area. I think we'll actually be able to see it here.
Mother's Finest
The J Geils Band
Ted Nugent.
Man, what a night.
Switching to tequila, too late for beer.
Yeah, I used to say that I was "Dangerously approaching middle-age," until some diligent Freeper pointed out that I AM middle-age, unless I plan to live to age 120 or so. I don't remember if I thanked him for his insight. :)
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