[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]

(meteorobs)

after reading joe rao's message below, i have to ask - but what about the
rest of us? in '98 it was not predicted that my region (eastern aegean)
would get such a super show, but perhaps that was because it was my first
major outting and to me it was fantastic!...nevertheless, i counted over 25
meteors per minute in the direction i was observing. there was undoubtedly a
lot i missed - due to my inexperience! now i understand that the flashes of
light coming from over my shoulder and casting a shadow on the ground in
front of me did not come from an approaching thunderstorm that never
materialized!!it was from FIREBALLS...lots of them.

this year, if east asia or australia are designated as prime viewing areas,
does this mean i'm 'out in the cold' or can i expect (hm....there's that bad
word) to see something similar to the '98 performance? what about the moon
during that period? how much will it interfer this year?


arlene in assos

Joe Rao wrote:
Date: Sat, 4 Aug 2001 16:55:45 EDT
From: Skywayinc@aol.com
Subject: Re: (meteorobs) Leonids latest?

In a message dated 8/4/01 4:40:14 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
KCStarguy@aol.com
writes:

<< what is the latest on the Leonids and what is predicted for a storm or
what?
 where are the predicted best places to be in US (west?). I am trying to
 decide whether to fly some place for a night. >>

It appears you have two options:

1) Go to some place in eastern Asia or western Australia, where dust trails
ejected from 55P/Tempel-Tuttle in 1699 and 1866 are expected to augment each
other and produce hourly rates of perhaps 5000 to 15000 per hour.  This very
high activity is expect to occur sometime between 17:30 and 18:30 UT on
November 18 (though in the above mentioned locales, west of the
International
Date Line, the calendar date is November 19).

2) Stay in North America where a 1767 dust trail is expected to interact
with
the Earth sometime between 10:00 and 10:30 UT on November 18.  We will not
hit this trail as directly as the 1699 and 1866 trails, so Americans may
have
to console themselves to a brief meteor outburst of "only" 2000 to 2500 per
hour.

These figures are based on the independent calculations of David Asher and
Rob McNaught and Esko Lyytinen and Tom Van Flandern.

- -- joe rao



To stop getting email from the 'meteorobs' list, use the Web form at:
http://www.tiacdot net/users/lewkaren/meteorobs/subscribe.html