Leonids meteor shower, Nov 18th

[Tucson_Tim]

A heads-up. Just saw this in Dave's astro calendar:

11/18 The peak of the Leonid meteor shower (20-40/hour) occurs at 4:00

The Leonids are associated with Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. The Sky and Telescope website is a little pessimistic, stating that only 10 per hour will be seen. Peak is pre-dawn Sunday morning. The first quarter Moon will be set by the start of the observation window (midnight to dawn).

From wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonids


The Leonids are famous because their meteor showers, or storms, can be, and have been in a few cases, among the most spectacular.

[KaiYeves]

Four in what time zone? I'm in United States East Coast.

[Kaptain K]

Four in what time zone? I'm in United States East Coast.
It doesn't really matter. The peak of the Leonids is fairly broad. there will be nearly as many Sat morning and Mon. morning.

[Tucson_Tim]

It doesn't really matter. The peak of the Leonids is fairly broad. there will be nearly as many Sat morning and Mon. morning.

Like the Kaptain says, it doesn't really matter. But here is Dave Mitsky's November AstroCalendar, the times are all UT:

http://www.bautforum.com/astronomical-observing-equipment-accessories/66551-november-2007-astrocalendar.html


November 2007 Calendar by Dave Mitsky

All times are UT (subtract 5 hours and, when appropriate, 1 calendar day for EST)

[crosscountry]

thanks for the heads up!!!

[KaiYeves]

So, one?

[Dave Mitsky]

Usually the Leonids are a rather minor shower. However, this year there is a chance of increased activity according to one source.

Farther on in my calendar this entry appears:

The peak of the Leonid meteor shower takes place on the morning of November 18. The First Quarter Moon will have set by that time so the peak won’t be compromised by moonlight. There is the possibility of higher than normal activity for observers on the East Coast before midnight.

Dave Mitsky

[crosscountry]

really? Leo rises around midnight. So will they actually see more?

[Tucson_Tim]

The Sky and Telesecope website has some more info, including a diagram of the radiant point:

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/11353971.html


The shower peaks on the night of Saturday–Sunday, November 17–18. Leonids start to be visible after the shower's radiant rises above the horizon, around midnight at mid-northern latitudes.


Also, to enforce what Dave said about the possibility of seeing more:


. . . so the 2007 Leonids are expected to be modest, with no more then 10 meteors visible per hour. However, the Leonids have yielded surprises before, so they're always worth watching.

[Dave Mitsky]

really? Leo rises around midnight. So will they actually see more?

Earthgrazing meteors can be seen as the radiant approaches the horizon. I saw two Leonids this morning, an extremely bright Earthgrazer through the French dome slot at approximately 12:30 a.m. EST (05:30 UT) and a much fainter one that emerged directly from Leo's sickle shortly before 3:00 a.m. as I was locking up the administration building at the Naylor Observatory.

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/leonids_commentary_011116.html

Dave Mitsky

[crosscountry]

I'll keep my eyes open, but unless this overcast sky clears I won't see them this year.

[Kaptain K]

That's alright. Next months Geminid shower is much better anyway!

Except in years when they "storm", Leonids are a fairly low grade shower. From what I've read, due to perturbations caused by Jupiter, the Leonids won't storm again in our lifetimes.

[crosscountry]

hmmm.... My understanding is that it peaks every 30 years or so. In my lifetime I hope to see it maybe twice more.

[Kaptain K]

hmmm.... My understanding is that it peaks every 30 years or so. In my lifetime I hope to see it maybe twice more.
It's more like 33 years, but note: due to perturbations caused by Jupiter in my previous post! Jupiter has pulled the streams (at least the ones that cause storms) so they no longer intersect the Earth's orbit.

[Dave Mitsky]

It's more like 33 years, but note: due to perturbations caused by Jupiter in my previous post! Jupiter has pulled the streams (at least the ones that cause storms) so they no longer intersect the Earth's orbit.

That's correct. No major Leonid storm is expected to occur until at least 2098.

Dave Mitsky