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(meteorobs) Catching the Leonids: An Impromptu Collection of Resources
Catching the Leonids: An Impromptu Collection of Resources
I. PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO
"NASA invites you to share your photos or images of Leonid meteors with
others. Please upload your photos."
http://leonids.hq.nasadot gov/leonids/
This site links to tips pages for photographing -- and videotaping -- the
Leonids (in brief, ASA of 400-800, aperture wide open, exposures ranging
from 15-30 seconds up to 3-4 minutes, and suggested framing with rocks,
trees, or other objects, possibly even a reflective body of water in the
foreground). Key to success, it stresses, will be practicing with exposures
beforehand: "Experimenting with the length of time and exposure is well
worth the effort! ... Knowing how your camera records light before the main
event is essential!"
http://leonids.hq.nasadot gov/leonids/photo.html
http://leonids.hq.nasadot gov/leonids/pccamera.html
More extensive and technically-detailed information is posted by the
International Meteor Organization:
Photographic Observer's Page: http://www.imodot net/photo/index.html
Video Observation of Meteors: http://www.imodot net/video/index.html
II. WHERE AND WHEN
A good succinct article, "Jaw-Dropping Leonids," is posted by Science@NASA
at:
http://science.nasadot gov/headlines/y2001/ast08nov_1.htm
Spaceweather.com includes a map of the constellations showing that the
meteors will be emanating from the constellation Leo seen, in the
mid-Northern latitudes, just east of due south.
http://www.spaceweather.com/meteors/leonids/observingtips.html
NASA MAC has a nifty Java applet allowing you to calculate time and
intensity for your location and sky-light conditions
(downtown/suburbs/countryside/mountaintop). For example, the Boston-area
will peak between 4-6 am, with 688 meteors per hour seen downtown, 2409 in
the suburbs, 3922 in the countryside, and 5184 on a mountain top. For San
Francisco, those times are from 1am-4am, with peak meteors per hour at from
386 through 1351, 2200, and 2908.
http://leonid.arc.nasadot gov/estimator.html
The extensive and accessible site of The Armagh Observatory includes a plot
of the various comet trails the earth will be passing by and through, and
three maps of the globe showing the location of the night skies, from the
meteor's perspective, during the three periods of most intense activity.
These will be North America for the first trail encounter, and 8 and 10
hours later in East Asia for the second and third trail encounters.
Predicted rates range from 1000-4000 per hour for the North American event,
and 8000-15000 per hour for East Asian events.
http://www.arm.acdot uk/leonid/info2001.html
A good (and colorful) summary of some of this data (followed by a whole lot
more technical material) is at:
http://leonid.arc.nasadot gov/1998.html
There is also a set of tables (PDF) showing numbers of meteors predicted for
every 15-minute period for 60 cities (30 US, 30 non-US) to be found at
NASA's Space Environments & Effects Program page. This page also links to 5
sites that will be collecting "real-time" data.
http://see.msfc.nasadot gov/see/Leonid_Forecast_2001x.html
III. ARE THESE PREDICTIONS ACCURATE? HOW DO THEY KNOW?
A major part of the story is the progressive science of predicting the exact
time, duration, and intensity of the meteor shower/storm. There is an
excellent, easy-to-understand seven page article detailing the major
research teams' predictions, and their advancing models, especially from
1998 forward, written by Gary Kronk. Among other things, we learn here that
another peak storm is predicted for 2002 (although with a full moon), and
two smaller peaks predicted in 2006/2007, then none to speak of until 2066.
http://comets.amsmeteors.org/meteors/showers/leonidprediction.html
Another good overall background of this recent history, along with more
useful information, is in the North American Meteor Networks November
newsletter:
http://www.namnmeteors.org/namnnotes0111.html
IV. PARTICIPATIVE OBSERVATIONS
1. In the NAMN's newsletter listed above, readers are invited to share
their meteor reports with the NAMN Coordinator at: sc.meteors@home.com.
NAMN also has one of the most extensive guides on line to understanding and
observing meteor events (includes a glossary):
http://www.namnmeteors.org/guide.html
2. NAMN also links to an AOL Hometown page, which provides not only a
good, succinct description of the event, but also an invitation to submit
reports to: theleonids@aol.com:
http://www.hometown.aol.com/theleonids/index.html
3. The American Meteor Society has good information and links on
observing the meteor shower, some sidebar articles on meteor speed and
so-called "earth-grazers", an extended set of pages on "fireballs", and
extensive information for participating in their Visual Observing Program.
This includes data forms and instructions for filling them out:
http://www.amsmeteors.org/visual.html
V. ANNOTATED LINKS
The American Meteor Society also maintains an excellent set of annotated
links :
http://www.amsmeteors.org/links.html
This includes a reference to an e-mail list-serve, located at:
http://www.meteorobs.org/
This collection of resources was gathered by Rob McCausland
(www.world.std.com/~rghm), Nov. 14-15, 2001. It was assembled primarily for
use by PEG Access Television Producers And Managers, and distributed to the
list-serves of the Alliance for Community Media (www.alliancecm.org).
Posted to meteorobs (my maiden post) for proofing and corrections.
The archive and Web site for our list is at http://www.meteorobs.org
If you are interested in complete links on the upcoming LEONIDS, see:
http://www.meteorobs.org/storms.html
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