ubejinxed Posted November 15, 2001 Share Posted November 15, 2001 Coming Soon: Spectacular Meteors > >By Elan Lohmann > > > >The United States can look forward to the most spectacular meteor > >show since 1966 -- and it might be another 98 years before anything > >so sensational will be seen again. > > > >The Nov. 18 Leonid meteor shower will be "very impressive, rare > >and something that you'll want to see," said Peter Jenniskens, > >a research scientist specializing in the study of meteors at the > >NASA/Ames Research Center at California's Moffett Field. > > > >"The August Perseids meteor shower, which normally gets the most > >annual astronomer attention, records a rate of about 80 meteors an > >hour, but this November's Leonids will record a rate over 2000," > >Jenniskens said. > > > >Viewing conditions in the United States are expected to be sublime > >this year. One reason for this is the new moon, which falls on > >Nov. 18, when the sky will be its darkest. > > > >A typical Leonid shower yields about 10 to 15 meteors per hour, > >but this year Jenniskens estimates the meteor shower will have as > >many as 4,200 an hour at its peak. Viewers along the East Coast > >will likely see the meteors fall directly from above, while in > >the West they will shoot across the sky at an angle. > > > >The perfect viewing time is estimated to be between 4 and 6 > >a.m. EST, on Nov. 18. > > > >"It is a naked-eye event. All one needs is a clear dark sky away > >from the city lights to enjoy the phenomena," Jenniskens said. > > > >For a sneak preview, a good resource is the Leonid Flux Estimator, > >produced by the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence/NASA > >Ames center. Tools on the site will calculate the best locations > >for viewing, the optimal spots from any town and how active the > >shower is expected to be in that area. > > > >The whole show should last 2 hours and create the effect of Earth > >moving through a trail of dust, Jenniskens said. > > > >An ordinary meteor showers occurs when Earth passes through debris > >left behind by comets. But this year, the Earth will be passing > >through particularly dense ribbons of comet debris. > > > >The Leonid storm will occur when the Earth passes through a trail > >of tiny dust particles left behind by Comet Tempel-Tuttle during > >its passage in 1767. > > > >Tempel-Tuttle orbits the sun every 33.25 years, shedding dust > >particles as it is warmed by sunlight. It first crossed the > >Earth's orbit in 860 A.D. The earth passes through some of the > >trail every year, but this year it will be particularly close. > > > >Jenniskens said the next major Leonid storm will occur again in > >2099, which will be one of its last tours. "The comet will then > >leave the Earth's orbit for good," he said. > > > >In November 1833, the show was so spectacular many eyewitnesses > >feared the world was coming to an end. In 1966, Americans viewed > >another excellent stellar show, while in 1999, Europe witnessed > >an epic series of showers. > > > >Jenniskens will be participating in the NASA-sponsored 2001 Leonid > >Multi Instrument Aircraft (MAC) mission, to be launched out of > >Edwards Air Force Base. > > > >The 2001 Leonid MAC campaign follows a highly successful airborne > >campaign during the 1999 storm visible throughout Europe, when > >more than 4,000 meteors rained through the sky at its peak. It > >was the first to be observed by modern observing techniques. > > > >"Only an airborne mission can bring scientists to the right > >place at the right time to view the Leonids, and guarantee clear > >weather," Jenniskens said. > >William T. P. Gairloch >Systems Engineer >The Pennsylvania State University >University Support Building 2 >University Park, PA 16802 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santa Claus Posted November 15, 2001 Share Posted November 15, 2001 awesome.....thanks for this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EatMorGlue Posted November 15, 2001 Share Posted November 15, 2001 yeah, thanks for giving the heads up. i'm gonna wake up sunday at 4 and smoke a bowl and watch some crazy shit. word. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pilau Hands Posted November 15, 2001 Share Posted November 15, 2001 i'll be there with bells on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santa Claus Posted November 18, 2001 Share Posted November 18, 2001 who else saw it? it was fucking amazing. im glad i didnt miss it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fr8lover Posted November 18, 2001 Share Posted November 18, 2001 yep it was well worth it, the clouds here cleared and we saw some kickass meteors! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pilau Hands Posted November 18, 2001 Share Posted November 18, 2001 i saw it from 5:30 to sunrise. being where i am makes it a little hard to eliminate light around you, so i did the best i could. even in an open field, the sky has that orange glow ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipples-galore Posted November 18, 2001 Share Posted November 18, 2001 fuck yeah..that shit was cool as hell. i was lying on my sidewalk at 4:00 am wrapped up in a blanket.............it was like 25 degrees last night. fuckin freezing, but I saw some unbelievable meteors. really cool shit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtysicks Posted November 18, 2001 Share Posted November 18, 2001 BAH, fuck nature and shit like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EatMorGlue Posted November 18, 2001 Share Posted November 18, 2001 yeah, it was worth it. i was expecting to see more, but beggars can't be choosers. it was real nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suburbian bum Posted November 18, 2001 Share Posted November 18, 2001 fuck, i missed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DIBS Posted November 18, 2001 Share Posted November 18, 2001 my gitl and I checked i out,it was great,a little cold,but an amazing show! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HESHIANDET Posted November 18, 2001 Share Posted November 18, 2001 whoops, slept through yet another thing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaesthebluntedwonder Posted November 18, 2001 Share Posted November 18, 2001 i dun peeped it......looked like someone was slashing the sky with razor blades when it left that bright streak trail after......... and light is wack...i cant imagine what it woulda looked like with no light at all...say if you lived in montana or something...prolly saw all 2000 in an hour........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CIPHER_one Posted November 18, 2001 Share Posted November 18, 2001 Originally posted by HESHIANDET whoops, slept through yet another thing... yeah...I was painting from like 2:30 to 3:30 and I was hoping to see some. That woulda been rockin...but no dice. So i went home and slept through it. It woulda been too bright anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcia_vega Posted November 18, 2001 Share Posted November 18, 2001 it was one of the most unbelievable things i've ever seen. i actually drove 2 hours from my house so i could watch it at an empty beach without being distracted by the city lights. i'd never even seen a shooting star before last night. it seriously made my entire outlook on life more positive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SPLINTER Posted November 18, 2001 Share Posted November 18, 2001 i got very little action here in cali. i was out till about 3:00am/PT and the peak was supposed to be 2:00am/PT here but i saw more from 2:30-3 but it was still not amazing, FUCKING CITY LIGHTS RUINED IT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SayOne Posted November 19, 2001 Share Posted November 19, 2001 good thing i read that cuz i thought i was hallucinating or somethin, i only saw two quick streaks , was tyte but didnt know if i was right ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pukey1 Posted November 19, 2001 Share Posted November 19, 2001 it was awesome. i was on the beach, ahhhh, fresh island weed was the best.:crazy: but i diddnt think it was THAT great:o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chizm Posted November 19, 2001 Share Posted November 19, 2001 i watched it last night, we went to the outskirts. it was BEAAAUUUTIFUL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr. frink one Posted November 19, 2001 Share Posted November 19, 2001 goddamnit...saw this last night thought it meant tonight at 2 to 4....boy am I a chump then edited cause I spelled damn wrong.... fucking chump Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cracked Ass Posted November 19, 2001 Share Posted November 19, 2001 I hiked up a rocky hill in a semi-rural spot and killed about two hours. It was a good show. Couple of big ones. I missed the biggest one, I was climbing some rocks in the dark and therefore looking down, but I could detect a flare of light behind me, enough so I could see the rocks slightly better for a second, and when I turned around I could see the slash that it left behind lingering for a few seconds. That's a big meteor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xeroshoes Posted November 19, 2001 Share Posted November 19, 2001 Originally posted by dirtysicks BAH, fuck nature and shit like that. You cant possibly mean that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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