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(meteorobs) Fireballs and a comet in outburst
Monday November 16, 1998
Indeed, there is a strong display of smoky Leonid fireballs. Beautiful as
can be even in moderate light pollution.
I read in a magazine article that one witness to the 1966 Leonid storm
described it looking "like snowflakes hitting a car windshield." I would
think that with all the smoky trains I saw last night that this year's
possible storm would look more like fireworks and resemble the old art
renderings of different Leonid fireball storms. It will be incredible if it
happens somewhere. Hope so.
*****
For extra viewing interest there is a newly discovered comet in outburst
and it's easily visible in binoculars as a diffuse glow. I saw it last
night in the vicinity of Cassiopeia and the Double Cluster.
Comet Linear C/1998 U5:
Date R.A. (2000) Dec. R r Elong Mag. Motion
h m o ' (AU) (AU) o "/hr P.A.
1998 Nov
17.00 2 5.94 +60 29.7 0.443 1.343 135.9 10.5 676 268
18.00 1 30.11 +60 1.9 0.447 1.337 133.6 10.5 664 260
19.00 0 56.75 +59 0.2 0.454 1.331 131.0 10.5 644 253
Tom Ashcraft
Santa Fe, New Mexico
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