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(meteorobs) Fwd: [Leonids] from Hawaii! (not technical) AWESOME!!!




PLEASE NOTE: Linda is not a current 'meteorobs' reader. If you follow up,
please MANUALLY put 'moms_own_mail@yahoo.com' in the "Cc:" of your reply!

Linda, thanks for sharing your wonderful impression of the 2001 Leonids.


Lew Gramer <owner-meteorobs@atmob.org>


------- Forwarded Message

Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2001 04:11:44 -0000
From: moms_own_mail@yahoo.com
To: meteorobs@atmob.org
Subject: Views from Hawaii! (not technical)  AWESOME!!!

Sorry this is being posted so late...  had wrong e-mail address!

     Ahhhh! What a night! 

     First I would like to thank this group. Because of your letters 
(and links) our family was better prepared for last night's event. We 
are in Hawaii where the sky over Kauai was dark and cloudless... 
PERFECT conditions! We spent the first half of the night (till 2am) 
on an isolated beach, then headed back home where we had a panoramic, 
unobstructed, lightfree view (high altitude for Kauai). I watched 
until dawn and all stars had disappeared but the meteors were STILL 
visible! Both locations were great! 

     The attached note at the bottom was written at 3:15 this morning 
in my excitement... I forgot to send!!! After writing the note, I 
went back out and the heavens seemed to open up. At first my count 
jumped to an average on 12/minute, then about 20. Most being white in 
color with tails, but a few brighter red, orange, yellow and even 
blues! Suddenly about 4:15+ (UT 14:15+) everywhere you looked, there 
was movement! Even a few short bright bursts that seemed to explode 
like a flashbulb! Several long tailed meteors in the sky at once, 
many parallel, side by side! The most notable was a cluster of four, 
moving together across the sky! At that point, trying to count seemed 
pointless... I just laid back and enjoyed the show! Just before dawn 
(to the south) a flurry of several fell within a minute almost 
perpendicular to the horizon. They were slow and almost appeared to 
be "jeweled tears" falling from heaven. What can I say? The end to a 
perfect evening! 

     As mentioned above, several sightings were made even after the 
stars had disappeared at dawn. What a wonderful night! 

(note of 3:15am:) 
     AWESOME! It's 3:15 am on the island of Kauai (in Hawaii). I came 
in to get warmer clothes and had to drop you all a note to share my 
excitement! I'm currently observing an average of 3-10/minute. The 
tails on most are long and brilliant. The sky is crystal clear and no 
light from any sources other than stars! Earlier this evening 
(shortly after midnight) from an isolated beach, we viewed a 
HUGE "fireball" like, orange ball which lasted more than 15 seconds, 
traveling horizontally across the entire horizon from north to south 
in the lower eastern sky over the ocean. Truly spectacular! 

     Aloha! 

        Linda

------- End of Forwarded Message

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