Meteor Showers coming!

“Lots of people here way more knowledgeable than me, I just like the view... just wanted all to be aware of what's coming!

"Few sky shows in our lifetimes will come close to matching the breathtaking, easy-to-watch 2001 Leonid meteor shower. Except maybe the 2002 Leonid meteor shower. Another storm is in store for Nov. 19, and the main question is how much of it we will see.

Astronomers say a peak of activity expected over North America could generate more than 40 shooting stars every minute. Europeans will be treated to an even better display. Unfortunately, many of the fainter streaks will be drowned out by a full Moon."”

“On the shore of lake superior, in southern ontario hopefully. I'm looking for a good show.

Leonids ”

“Nothing beats last year - right buddur, gonzo & skully?”

“Absolutely.”

“So whats parts of the sky are best to view this?


8)”

“And why don't meteors ever take a bath?”

“Here you go CMB, Nasa Leonid info.”

“Thank you for the link they say that by me the best time to see it is just after dark I am going to be shure to check it out!

8)”

“Last year's was so great, best I ever saw. And I viewed it from home here in the 'burbs! Looks like I'll be doing the same this year.”

“Oh Buddha Bear...if only the 19th fell on another weekend.”

“Ya that would be great!

I could sleep in the backyard but where I live that might not be such a good idea!

8o”

“Yep. and it SUCKS.

(aHem)


The Leonids' two main peaks are predicted for just before 11 PM (EST) the evening of the Nov. 18 and about 5:40 AM Nov. 19.

Unfortunately, as Wanderer pointed out, Full Moon is on the 19th as well (~8:34 PM EST). Soooo... it looks like the best chance to see any peak activity at all will be just before the morning twilight on Tuesday the 19th and the Full Moon will still interfere.

Folks further East might have a chance of seeing part of the secondary peak (the brighter meteors, anyway), but I don't have much "enthusiasm" for the 11 o'clock peak... not with a Full Moon at the zenith.

The Moon does set earlier on previous nights (and isn't quite as bright) so there should be some meteors to see in the early morning hours of the 14th-18th, even if they aren't nearly as frequent.

For example, moonset here in the southeast on the 14th will occur at about 2 AM... but the peak(s) are still 4 days away. I'm thinking it may be worth getting up before dawn over the weekend. Maybe, <G>.

I wish I had better news for ya!

I started cursing under my breath about this a couple or 3 years ago... when I saw that some researchers were predicting even higher numbers for 2002 than 2001... and that the MOON was going to be right in the middle of it. The limiting magnitude is going to suck, LOL

oy vey.


2002 Leonids Pages
(UT - 5 = EST, UT - 6 = CST, etc)

Leonids Entry on the IMO 2002 calendar”

“6 Pm CST will be good for me becuase it will be dark already!

8)”

“Cool links, Folks!”

“oooooooooooooooooooooooooh...”

“Here's a link off MSNBC today, which includes that Joshua tree photo:

Leonids a'coming!!”

“That'll be Tuesday Morning, Mike (4:40 AM CST)....

Sorry”

“so lemme ge t this straight

if the meteor shower is "coming" are what we see, um, the sperm?”

“While I'm at it....

It looks like conditions will be much more favorable for the Geminids this year. They should peak on the morning of December 14 [a Friday Night! (the 13th? <GULP>)] with a Zenithal Hourly Rate of about 120. The Moon (2 days past First Quarter) sets at about 1:30-2:30 AM local time.

The time of the actual peak is more variable: 7:45-12:30 UT (2:45-7:30 AM EST; 1:45-6:30 AM CST; etc), but according to the folks at the IMO, a good time to shoot for would be 10 UT (5 AM EST; 4 AM CST; etc).

Soooo...it may be another 'before dawn' event. If so, at least the Moon will be out of the way!”

“Yeah, Troll... bring your umbrella....”

“So, have you noticed that the Astronomy Picture of the day site is a service of Michigan Tech University?

Yeah, baby!”

“Yaz... I seem to remember you remarking on that before....

Like 3 or 4 times, <GRIN>

So, do you ever run into this weirdo around campus? There's no photo --- I guess he's trying to maintain a low profile...

The other guy Jerry Bonnell was rumored to be skulking around Goddard when I did that internship there in '95, but I never met him. That was about the time they started the APOD site. I guess he's still there.

If you start following those links, it'll warp your brain (I'm living proof of that!).”

“Really, Tilt? Whoops! Sorry! I'll behave now. Guess I really liked the place!

I tried to stay away from those weird physics people. They can be creepy.”

“I thought the people in the Psych Dept. were weird, then I went into programming, LOL”

“THEN I came HERE,

LOL”

“===================================

* * * SKY & TELESCOPE's SKYWATCHER'S BULLETIN - November 12, 2002 * * *

===================================
Welcome to S&T's Skywatcher's Bulletin. More information on the items below is available on our Web site, SkyandTelescope.com, at the URLs provided. Clear skies!
===================================

THE LEONIDS ARE COMING

Despite the presence of the full Moon, amateur astronomers will be out in force to observe the grand finale of the current sequence of Leonid meteor storms. There are two predicted Leonid peaks occuring on the 19th. The
first arrives over Europe at 4:00 Universal Time (UT). The second appears over North America beginning about 10:30 UT (5:30 a.m. EST, 2:30 a.m. PST). More information about the last Leonid storm for many decades to
come is available here:

LINK

-----------------------------------

JUPITER'S MOON DANCES

Approximately every six years, the orbits of Jupiter's four largest moons are presented so nearly edge on to our view that the satellites can be seen going behind or in front of each other. The geometry favoring these "mutual events" lasts for several months, and a new season has begun. For example, on the morning of the 18th, from 3:08 to 3:14 a.m. EST, North
American observers can see Europa partially occult Io.

More details are available in the December issue of SKY & TELESCOPE, but predictions of mutual events for November can be found here:

LINK

-----------------------------------

PENUMBRAL LUNAR ECLIPSE

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth lies between the Sun and the Moon, so that Earth's shadow darkens the full Moon. The dark, central shadow is the umbra, while the lighter shadow that surrounds the umbra is the penumbra.

A penumbral eclipse of the Moon will be visible across Europe, Africa, and much of the Americas during the evening of November 19-20. The penumbral shadow is difficult to detect, but for those interested in trying, greatest shading occurs at 8:46 p.m. EST on the 19th (1:46 Universal Time
on the 20th). More information about this eclipse is available here:

LINK

-----------------------------------

To read more about what's happening in the night sky this week, visit "This Week's Sky at a Glance" at:

LINK

-----------------------------------

TIME MARCHES ON (Advertisement)

It's that time again -- time to order your 2003 calendar from Shop at Sky:

SKY & TELESCOPE's Celestial Wonders Calendar

LINK




Year in Space Desk Calendar

LINK



Space Photos & Facts 2003 Desk Calendar

LINK

-----------------------------------

Copyright 2002 Sky Publishing Corp.

(YES, I'm going to Hell. Hey, I posted the links to their ads. Do you think they'll still prosecute?)

More information about astronomical observing is available on our Web site
at

LINK

-----------------------------------

To change your address, unsubscribe from (or subscribe TO) S&T's Skywatcher's Bulletin, or S&T's Weekly News Bulletin, which highlights the latest
discoveries from the world's astronomical observatories, go to this address:

LINK

===================================”

“Thanks, Tilt. I just subscribed.

It's a little difficult to decide upon a calender. As I look around my area, I don't see any unoccupied place to put one.”

“i saw a bunch of shooting stars at the buffalo last weekend”

“Victoria Steiner Nov. 13, 2002
NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
Phone: 650/604-0176
E-mail: vsteiner@mail.arc.nasa.gov

RELEASE: 02-119AR

LIVE INTERVIEW WITH NASA ASTROPHYSICIST DR. SCOTT SANDFORD

COMING SOON: LAST CHANCE TO SEE METEOR SHOWER UNTIL 2099

Skywatchers in Europe and the United States will have an opportunity to see the most dramatic light show of the past several decades when the Earth passes through the orbit of comet Tempel-Tuttle. The resulting Leonid meteor shower is expected to peak at 11 p.m. EST in Spain, the night of Nov. 18, and at 5:30 a.m. EST over Nebraska, on Nov. 19.

On Monday, Nov. 18, astrophysicist Dr. Scott Sandford of NASA Ames
Research Center will be available for live interviews to explain
where and when people in the U.S. can see the meteor shower. He also will explain how studying comets, cosmic dust and meteors, which are made from ice and dust that existed when the solar system was formed, can help scientists develop a better understanding of how life began on Earth.

"Comets and meteors are fascinating to study because they are a frozen record from the time when the solar system formed," said Sandford. "Due to geological activity, all of Earth's materials have been reformed several times over. We must study comets, meteors and meteorites to get an early view of the planetary system we call home."

Ask Dr. Sandford:
… Where and when can people in the U.S. can see the meteor shower?
… Why do we study comets, cosmic dust and meteors?
… How do they tell us how life began on Earth?

Live interviews with Dr. Sandford will originate from NASA Ames
Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., on NASA TV. To book a window on Monday, Nov. 18 between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. EST (5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. PST), call Victoria Steiner at 650/604-0176 or e-mail at: vsteiner@mail.arc.nasa.gov

NASA TV is broadcast on GE-2 (C-Band satellite), transponder 9C at 85 degrees west longitude, vertical polarization with a downlink frequency of 3880 Mhz and audio of 6.8 Mhz. In case of technical problems during the interview, call NASA Ames' master control at 650/604-1296.

-- end --

To receive Ames news releases via -email, send an -email with the
word "subscribe" in the subject line to:
ames-releases-request@lists.arc.nasa.gov.

To unsubscribe, send an
-email to the same address with "unsubscribe" in the subject line.

Also, the NASA Ames News Home Page at URL,
http://amesnews.arc.nasa.gov includes news releases and JPEG images in AP Leaf Desk format minus embedded captions

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll check my NASA-TV links and post them later. They use both Windows Media and RealPlayer.

8-10 AM EST Monday the 18th.....”

“NASA-TV

(broadband or dialup; Windows Media or RealVideo)

There's a nifty little link on the right to launch a stand-alone player you can hide over in the corner of your screen....

STS-113 launch has been delayed. This might interfere with the interviews.

NASA Human Space Flight page

STS-113 page (same link for each upcoming Shuttle mission)”

“[IMO-NEWS] Meteor Activity Outlook for November 15-21, 2002

The Leonids peak on Tuesday morning Nov. 19 from a radiant located at 10:12 (153) +22. This position lies in western Leo within the "sickle" of Leo. This is also only 2 degrees northwest of the famous double star Algeiba (Gamma Leonis). The radiant rises between late evening and early
morning depending on your latitude. It rises earlier the further north one lives. There are two outbursts of the Leonids predicted to occur this year. The first one occurs near 0400 UT on November 19. For North American longitudes this corresponds to 1100 pm EST and 0800pm PST on
the evening of November 18. This is too early to be see from the great majority of North America. Europe and northwestern Africa are ideally situated to view this outburst. The second outburst is predicted to occur near 1040 UT. Extreme northeastern South America, Central America and North America are favored for this second outburst. Unfortunately
the western Pacific, Asia, Australia and most of Africa will miss the best portion of the show. With the full moon in the western sky many of the fainter Leonids will be lost in the moon's glare. Therefore it will be difficult to predict the strength of this years display. If it is anything remotely similar to the 2001 display then it would be well
worth watching despite the intense moonlight. At 71 km/sec., the Leonids are among the swiftest of meteors. Those seen near the radiant will appear slower since they are approaching the observer. If it's clear don't miss this display as it is predicted to be the last Leonid storm and perhaps the last meteor storm until 2099.

The Sporadic rates for the Northern Hemisphere have now reached their plateau of top activity, which occurs during the entire last quarter of the year. One would currently expect to see perhaps 10 random meteors per hour during the last hours before dawn from rural observing sites. This estimate and the morning estimate for the Southern Hemisphere does
not include the apex meteors listed above. During the evening hours perhaps 4 random meteors can be seen per hour from the Northern
Hemisphere. Rates seen from the Southern Hemisphere are now at their annual low with perhaps 5 random meteors being seen per hour during the early morning hours and 2 per hour during the evening. Moonlight will reduce sporadic rates seen in the evening sky this week.

Clear Skies!
Robert Lunsford
IMO Secretary-General”

“Thanks, Tilt. Keep it coming.”

“quit whining, it'll be nice out com tuesday”

“There always seems to be a flood of info just before the event!


geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee... who could've imagined someone with a name like that would be a troll?? LOL”

“[IMO-NEWS] Leonids Flash and Live by Radio Observation


The International Project for Radio Meteor Observation 2002

LINK

98 observing sites in 19 countries now !!

Many radio observers participate in this project. Today, this project start to provide FLASH report. You can confirm Leonid meteor activity. I will update every one or half days with graphs and texts.

On the other hand, Radio Live has already started. Many sites
provide observed file and Live data are updated every 10 minutes.
So, it is possible to know Leonid activity now.

Leonid LIVE : LINK

Leonid FLASH : LINK


with best wishes
Hiroshi Ogawa

----------------------------------
Hiroshi Ogawa (University of Tsukuba, JAPAN)
homepage: LINK”

“NASA Science News for November 14, 2002

The 2002 Leonid meteor storm is due on Tuesday, Nov. 19th. A NASA expertoffers practical advice to meteor watchers who wish to observe the display.

FULL STORY at this here link.”

“It appears that here on the east coast of Florida I want to be on the beach looking SE between 5 and 6 Tuesday morning with mug of hot eggnog sprinkled lightly with cinnamon.”

“Sounds like a winner!”

“Thanks Tilt, therm-a-rests, sleeping bags and a thermos of good strong French-roast coffee will be at the ready.

Also, I'd like to try and photograph this with hopes the full moon won't diminish it's effects. Any tips?????????”

“Today's "Astronomy Picture of the Day" entitled The Sharpest View of the Sun is fantastic. I even enjoyed the link Why Stars Twinkle.


So much information and so many beautiful pictures are obtainable through the links that it would take me at least 10 years to go through all of it. The world is getting so exciting with such an abundance of information and knowledge readily available, that I really wish that I was 17 instead of 70.

Sign me, "Not yet ready for a rocking chair!"”

“I've never done any, Geezr, but I found Some Tips at the North American Meteor Network website.

NAMN Homepage

IMO Photographic Observer's Page. This is a mirror of the IMO site hosted by the AMS... the IMO's site is swamped.

International Meteor Organization (also a mirror)

American Meteor Society


I know exactly what you mean, Nowslimmer. When I first got on the net, I was blown away! (and still am!) The professional astronomers got about a twenty year head start on us with the Internet.”

“NASA Science News for November 16, 2002

NASA TV kicks off live coverage of the 2002 Leonid meteor storm on Monday evening, Nov. 18th. The broadcast will feature live reports from meteor watchers around the world, a toll-free telephone number for members of the
public, and weird meteor sounds.

FULL STORY


This looks like a good thing to look into if the clouds mess you up... or if you want to check out how the first peak progresses over Europe (between 10 and midnight EST).”

“One More Time For The West Coast!!

FULL STORY”

“Cameras are ready. Sleeping bags and pads are in the truck and I can't wait for the show to begin. Unfortunately, the cloud cover is expected to be around 60%, but we'll just have to see how that plays out.

Thanks everyone who supplied links!”

“showers are coming huh

so are the clouds”

“Forecast here is Clear & Cold.

33˚ 39' 47" N     82˚ 12' 55" W

                                     33.6631 N         82.2153 W

         

”