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(meteorobs) Early Leonids




They're happening! I just came in from barely catching the end of the first 
peak. I'm near Boston, far enough northeast so the Leonid radiant was above 
the horizon by 11:20 p.m. EST when I started watching. This was 20 minutes 
after the predicted time of the first peak.

Meteors from a radiant-on-the-horizon shower are gorgeous -- the few you 
can see! These were long, slow streamers sailing up to 40 degrees across 
the sky (since they were just skimming the upper atmosphere nearly 
horizontally). Not quite one a minute from 11:20 to 11:32. Then they slowed 
down to one every 2, 3, or 4 minutes until 12:20 a.m. EST. They had bright 
orange heads and brief blue-gray trains. Limiting magnitude 4.2 in the 
bright moonlight; very clear air.

More later....

Alan MacRobert
Sky & Telescope

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