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(meteorobs) Leonid Peak Press Release (fwd)
The attached item, forwarded to me by a friend, would tend to explain WHY
the Leonid Shower was a "dud" in the areas of Asia where it was supposed to
be "very dramatic." Based on other information I had seen on the internet,
the 1998 Leonid Shower and the 1966 Leonid Shower BOTH had maxima at times
which where 12-to-16 hours from the predicted peak.
----------
>
> Gang,
> Here is an official press release on the Leonids from the Royal
> Astronomical Society (with portions snipped) you might find interesting.
> As mentioned, the peak seems to have occured 16 hours BEFORE prediction,
> favoring Europe and the Atlantic region, rather than western US, Pacific
> and far east as predicted..... Paul
> ------------ Forwarded Message ------------------
> THE FOLLOWING RELEASE WAS RECEIVED FROM THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY,
> IN THE U.K., AND IS FORWARDED FOR YOUR INFORMATION. (FORWARDING DOES NOT
> IMPLY ENDORSEMENT BY THE AMERICAN ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY.) Steve Maran,
> American Astronomical Society
>
> ISSUED BY:
> Dr Jacqueline Mitton, RAS Public Relations Officer
>
> LEONID METEOR STORM SPRINGS EARLY SURPRISE
>
> Early reports suggests that the expected Leonid meteor storm did indeed
take
> place - but around 16 hours sooner than forecast. Astronomers working at
the
> UK's Isaac Newton Telescope on the island of La Palma in the Canary
Islands
> estimated that they were seeing meteors at a rate of 2000 per hour as
dawn
> broke around 5 a.m. GMT on Tuesday 17th November, with numbers still
going
> up.
>
> Amateur astronomers and members of the public in the UK and other western
> European countries have been reporting large numbers of meteors -
hundreds
> per hour - between about 1.00 and 6.00 a.m. on the 17th. By noon GMT, the
> rate seemed to have declined substantially, according to reports from
> observers in the US, where it was still dark. The peak of the storm
probably
> occurred over the Atlantic Ocean around 6 a.m. GMT.
> <snip>
> Astronomer Dr Alan Fitzsimmons of the Queen's University, Belfast, was
one
> of the lucky observers to witness the storm in the clear dark skies over
the
> La Palma Observatory. "The number of bright meteors is astounding" he
wrote
> as the storm grew in intensity at about 5.30 a.m.. <snip> We are
> approaching one meteor per second and the rate still seems to be
increasing,
> but twilight is now beginning."
>
> <snip> Once the observations made this year are analysed, it should be
> easier to predict whether there could be a repeat performance in 1999.
>
> No information has yet been received on whether any satellites or
spacecraft
> suffered damage as a result of the meteor storm.
>
> -End-
>
> ----- End Included Message -----
Thanks to Paul Harden in Socorro, New Mexico, for this info!
Alan Kaul, W6RCL, LaCanada, CA e-mail: w6rcl@amsat.org
http://home.attdot net/~alan.kaul/index.html or
http://home.attdot net/~alan.kaul/qrp.html
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