Mon Nov 18, 9:51 AM ET
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Posted on 11/19/2002 12:24:12 AM PST by petuniasevan
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Mon Nov 18, 9:51 AM ET
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PASADENA, Calif. (AP) - This week's Leonid meteor shower may be the largest such display until the end of the century, with possibly hundreds of meteors visible in the sky Tuesday morning.
The annual meteor shower usually delivers only a few visible meteors. But hundreds per hour might be visible as they burn up in the atmosphere this time, scientists say.
"Even with the full moon, this year's Leonids will probably be better than any other for the next hundred years," Don Yeomans, an astronomer at NASA (news - web sites)'s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, said in a statement. "If you're ever going to see them, this might be the year to try."
The shower is predicted to have two peaks, each a couple of hours long, during which the most meteors can be seen, according to the lab.
The first peak is expected over Europe and Africa on Monday night, when observers in North America might see a few meteors skimming the top of the atmosphere, starting around 11:30 p.m. EST Monday.
The shower's second peak, most prominent in North American skies, is expected at around 5:30 a.m. EST Tuesday. Even though the moonlight will wash out the dimmest meteors, viewers in good locations will be able to see a few meteors or more every minute.
Astronomers predict that the next occurrence of a Leonid storm even close to this magnitude will be in 2099.
"I say in the very least, a person should step out their back door and look up and give it 15 minutes," said Erik Hubl, an amateur astronomer and chairman of the Hyde Memorial Observatory Board in Lincoln, Neb.
The meteors are dust particles shed by Comet Tempel-Tuttle, which swings around the sun once every 33 years. The shower occurs each November, when the Earth's orbit takes it through the trail left by the comet.
The dust for this year's show actually was laid down by the comet in 1866. Most of the particles are smaller than a grain of rice but enter the atmosphere at 45 miles per second, burning up from friction.
Be sure your eastern/southern sky view is unobstructed and has as little light pollution as possible.
I will be here at the keyboard for another 40-60 minutes.
Questions anyone?
However, we'll mosey out in a couple hours and see if the fog has a thinner patch in the southeastern sky. Thanks for the headsup on the direction to look.
But at around 5:10 I went outside for a look and the haze had cleared a bit and viewing was acceptable for Pittsburgh. That's when I saw an orangeish-yellow bolide! It traveled E to W from just before zenith through 20-30 degrees! BEAUTIFUL! Several small meteors as well.
prisoner6
No activity visible for 11 pm peak, despite near optimal viewing conditions (after taking into account a full f---ing moon and copious metropolitan light pollution).
Saw 10 meteors between 4:30 and 5:30. Patchy high cloud cover with a light haze, but stars visible to second magnitude. Saw a large satellite (possibly ISS) pass within 30 degrees of zenith at 5:10, heading southeast. Saw a possible Iridium flare to the south at 5:14.
Saw 46 meteors between 5:30 and 6:00.
I would call this a good meteor shower with a sharp peak around 5:45, but not a storm. Last year's show was better I saw several hundred meteors during the Leonids last year, including a fireball, but then again viewing conditions were much better.
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