* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

RE: Leonids

Blobrana · L

This weekend brings the return of the famous Leonid meteor shower. This year's peak activity should occur around 4:00 GMT, Sunday, 17 -18th November, 2007, with a possible narrow spike around 22:30 GMT.
But, unlike other years this years event may only produce a modest show. Expect only 15 meteors per hour. A near half moon will washout a few of the fainter meteors.
Best location this year is Asia.

Astronomers at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute remind starwatchers that the annual Leonid Meteor Shower will be visible this weekend.
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Mop · New

Blobrana wrote:

It was one of the greatest natural light shows in recorded human history. During the predawn hours of Nov. 13, 1833, the heavens lit up like a Fourth of July sparkler as tens of thousands of meteors streaked through the darkened sky.
Early McLean County settler Robert Dickerson said it was like watching showers of fiery rain falling to the ground. Reliable accounts of the event boggle the mind. A.C. Twyning of West Point, N.Y., for instance, estimated the rate of bright meteors at 10,000 an hour.

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it's a shame we haven't seen anything like that in modern day, aside from the Leonids of recent years. I know 1966 was similar, but a modern 10,000-or-more/ hour shower would be great to see!

Blobrana · L

It was one of the greatest natural light shows in recorded human history. During the predawn hours of Nov. 13, 1833, the heavens lit up like a Fourth of July sparkler as tens of thousands of meteors streaked through the darkened sky.
Early McLean County settler Robert Dickerson said it was like watching showers of fiery rain falling to the ground. Reliable accounts of the event boggle the mind. A.C. Twyning of West Point, N.Y., for instance, estimated the rate of bright meteors at 10,000 an hour.

Read more

Blobrana · L

Mark your calendar for November 17-18th. Thats the peak of the Leonid Meteor Shower. Visible might be as many as ten meteors per hour and viewing will be best in the pre-dawn hours. The meteors will seem to originate out of the constellation Leo.

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Blobrana · L

Title: Detection of Leonids meteoric dust in the upper atmosphere by polarization measurements of the twilight sky
Authors: Oleg S. Ugolnikov, Igor A. Maslov

The method of detection of dust in the stratosphere and mesosphere by the twilight sky background observations is being considered. The polarisation measurements are effective for detection of the meteoric dust scattering on the background consisting basically of troposphere multiple scattering. The method is based on the observed and explained polarization properties of the sky background during different stages of twilight. It is used to detect the mesosphere dust after the Leonids maximum in 2002 and to investigate its evolution. The polarisation method takes into account the multiple scattering and sufficient contribution of moonlight scattering background and turns out to be more sensitive than existing analogs used in the present time.

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Blobrana · L

Meteoroids are smashing into the Moon a lot more often than anyone expected.
That's the tentative conclusion of Bill Cooke, head of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office, after his team observed two Leonids hitting the Moon on Nov. 17, 2006.

"We've now seen 11 and possibly 12 lunar impacts since we started monitoring the Moon one year ago. That's about four times more hits than our computer models predicted" - Bill Cooke.

If correct, this conclusion could influence planning for future moon missions.

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Blobrana · L

Leonid meteors movies

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Blobrana · L

LEONIDS - PARTIAL SUCCESS
The IAA's Observing Night + Leonid Watch at Delamont Country Park on Saturday night started well, following a good weather forecast, with crystal clear skies & very little light pollution. But after an hour or so we had a bad case of Cirrus Interruptus.

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Blobrana · L

Astronomers braved sub-zero temperatures to glimpse a meteor shower streaking across the north-east skies at the weekend.
Hardy members of Moray's Astronomy Club, Sigma, gathered at Easterton airfield, near Birnie, on Saturday night, to take advantage of the rural setting's perfect darkness.
Members of the public had been invited along to glimpse the predictable Leonid meteors.
Events co-ordinator Bill Leslie said the club had open nights a few times a year, allowing those with an interest in astronomy the chance to look through powerful telescopes.
A further public night has now been planned for Wednesday, December 13, when the Geminids meteor shower is expected. Information can be found on the club's website at www.sigma-astro.co.uk.

Source P & J