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(meteorobs) Fwd: Live Leonids Webcast Update


Another message from Ms. Carson. Light on facts, but great enthusiasm!

Again, she ISN'T a 'meteorobs' subscriber: put her address in your CC!

Lew Gramer


------- Forwarded Message

From: cacarson@mindspring.com
To: "AJC News Tips" <newstips@ajc.com>
Subject: Live Leonids Webcast Update
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1998 15:51:13 -0500


Live Webcast of Leonids Meteor Storm
Production Update


http://www.chiangmainews.com, the leading online provider of news and =
travel information in Thailand, will be presenting a live webcast of the =
Leonids on November 16, 17, and 18.=20

The Leonids are the largest meteor shower/storm viewable from the earth =
and are this year's most important astronomic event. Linked to the =
periodic comet Tempel-Tuttle, peak activity is projected to occur around =
2:30 EST on November 17 and will be best viewed from Mongolia, with =
potentially 10,000 meteors per hour or more visible from that location. =
Viewers in Japan could see as many as 100 per hour, and the US will only =
have limited visibility at 10 - 20 per hour.=20

The strategic location and existing infrastructure in Thailand gives =
Chiang Mai an optimum perspective to broadcast this unique event to the =
world yet offers numerous technical challenges to the webcasters =
involved. Broadcast is scheduled to come from a remote mountain top, but =
may be moved to a location closer to stable ISP node in Chiang Mai =
should it prove unsuitable during this week=92s tests. Other possible =
filming locations offer microwave telecommunications connections, some =
have phone lines and some have none at all, so there are many technical =
obstacles inherent in this webcasting first. DT WebDesign developer =
Galen Valle feels we can successfully broadcast regardless of physical =
conditions provided the satellites don't get space sandblasted. =
RealVideo will provide interface between video and data, as its cross =
platform compatibility provides a consistent image across different =
browsers. Our camera man is an astronomer from Switzerland who =
recognizes the value of offering this unique event to the many parts of =
the globe that will not have a view from their own backyards. Technical =
details of video setup entail use of SONY HI-8 VIDEO CAMERA, latest =
model with optical zoom x18 and manual slow motion for persistent trains =
of very bright fireballs. Also he plans to utilize x2 optical =
teleconverter and external microphones for recording selected sounds in =
wave format. Snappy video capture hard/software will later be used to =
digitize individual pictures in jpeg format for archive on the main host =
site. Backup cameras and equipment will be provided by the local =
television news station in case of problems with those brought by our =
specialist.

US mirror site has been established at =
URL:http://www.piedmontpages.com/leonids/,=20
space provided by Atlanta webhosts InterLanddot net. We have also received =
a commitment from Discovery.com to carry the feed, a great source of =
support both technologically as well as for distribution.

=20
Sponsorship is important since we have rather high expenses to meet. For =
those who are waiting (or are just interested) we will be posting =
results of our tests on the main host and mirror site as they become =
available. Sponsorship and advertising questions can be directed to: =
dean@chiangmainews.com, or cacarson@mindspring.com, SUBJECT=3D Feed =
Sponsorship. This is a free, live, public web event and we need your =
support to make it work! We offer you a valuable opportunity to =
advertise your products and services to viewers on the web in the form =
of banners (468x60), box ads and buttons on the main Chiang Mai News =
page, video feed gateway page, and on the video feed page during the =
event. Information on ad rates and placement is available upon request.=20

Astronomers from about 905 ad to the present have recorded the Leonids. =
The storm of 1833 created havoc and predictions of a coming apocalypse =
on the eastern seaboard of the United States and Native American tribes =
drew symbolic conclusions ranging from deaths of tribal leaders to =
excrement of the gods falling upon them. Documentation portrays a storm =
of fireballs raining from the heavens and the magnitude of the shower =
has ranged from that extreme to a mere sprinkle of light. Astronomers =
foresee this year=92s event as possibly rivaling that of 1833 and the =
most recent epic storm of 1966. NASA and the USAF have developed =
contingency plans for the worst case scenario, that being an impact of =
one of the pencil lead sized particles upon one of the hundreds of =
satellites in earth=92s orbit.

This year=92s event could only be a preview, however, of a grand display =
to come next year as the earth travels through the debris thrown off by =
the parent comet again. Should that be the case, this webcast will lay a =
foundation from which to provide more expanded coverage then. Impossible =
to forecast in terms of certain magnitude, this event has nonetheless =
commanded the attention of astronomers from all over the world and those =
who cannot witness it in person will have access to the light show =
wherever there is a phone line and a pc.

Please feel free to contact me via email at cacarson@mindspring.com or =
by voice at 770-936-9131 should you have any additional questions =
regarding this pioneer web event.

Best Regards,

Catherine Carson

DT WebDesign and Promotion LTD

------- End of Forwarded Message

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