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What is the best way to view the upcoming Leonids meteor shower? Will everyone be able to see it? Might it be a dud? Well, according to [1]: :The Leonids approach the Earth at a declination of about 22 degrees. If your latitude is less than 22 degrees (or in the Southern Hemisphere), look to the northeast; the further south you are, the more the meteors will appear to be coming from the north. If your latitude is greater than 22 degrees, look to the southeast; the further north of 22 degrees you are, the more the meteors will look to be arriving from the south. Look about halfway up the horizon towards either the northeast (if you're south of 22 degrees) or the southeast (if you're north of 22 degrees); if you are looking straight up, you can miss many of the meteors. Be alert! The Leonids are moving very fast with respect to the Earth (~71 km/sec), so the meteor streaks that we can see go quickly. Places with dark skies away from city lights are the best locations. Based on my personal experience, the darker the sky the better. Two years ago [I saw] a few spectacular ones in my neighborhood, but in just two years the light pollution has gotten so bad that I'm seriously considering driving tens of miles out into the country. As for it being a "dud," the models suggest the contrary. "Several models are predicting two significant peaks: one over the United States (especially towards the west) beginning about 3-4 am EST and lasting until 6-7 am EST. The maximum, according to these models, will occur around 5 am EST. The level of activity for this peak could be as much as 2000 meteors per hour." [1] I see no reason to duplicate any more of the excellent content at the two external links that are already cited. <>< tbc |
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The Leonids are a [meteor stream]? associated with the comet Tempel-Tuttle?. The meteor stream is thought to be comprised of particles ejected by the comet as it passes by the sun. When the earth moves through the meteor stream, a meteor shower can be witnessed.
The Leonids are famous because their meteor showers, or storms, can be among the most spectacular. They seem to follow a 33 year cycle, associated with the 33 year orbit of Tempel-Tuttle. Storms in peak years can feature thousands of meteors? per hour. Notable events were observed in 1799, 1833, 1866, and 1966. The storms in 2001 and 2002 are expected to be spectacular as well.
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