Space Geek Alert: Leonid Meteor Shower Tonight!

[todd2000]

I stood in my driveway with my neighbor a few years ago and watched the Leonids, and they were amazing! Even with the city lights we must have seen hundreds of Meteors. So get your butts out of bed early, or don't go to bed at all, and check out natures fireworks!

Originally Posted by Space.com

One of the best annual meteor showers will peak in the pre-dawn hours Tuesday, and for some skywatchers the show could be quite impressive.

The best seats are in Asia, but North American observers should be treated to an above average performance of the Leonid meteor shower, weather permitting. The trick for all observers is to head outside in the wee hours of the morning – between 1 a.m. and dawn – regardless where you live.

The Leonids put on a solid show every year, if skies are clear and moonlight does not interfere. This year the moon is near its new phase, and not a factor. For anyone in the Northern Hemisphere with dark skies, away from urban and suburban lighting, the show should be worth getting up early to see.

"We're predicting 20 to 30 meteors per hour over the Americas, and as many as 200 to 300 per hour over Asia," said Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office. Other astronomers who work in the nascent field of meteor shower prediction have put out similar forecasts.

Urban dwellers and suburbanites will see far fewer, as the fainter meteors will be drowned out by local lights.

Behind the Leonids

The Leonids are created by the comet Tempel-Tuttle, which passes through the inner solar system every 33 years on its orbit around the sun. Each time by, it leaves a new river of debris, mostly bits of ice and rock no bigger than a sand grain but a few the size of a pea or marble.

Over time, these cosmic streams spread out, so predicting exactly what will happen is difficult.

"We can predict when Earth will cross a debris stream with pretty good accuracy," Cooke said. "The intensity of the display is less certain, though, because we don't know how much debris is in each stream."

When Earth plows into the debris, the bits hit the atmosphere and vaporize, creating sometimes dramatic streaks of light and the occasional fireball with a smoky-looking trail that can remain visible for several minutes.

The Leonid stream is moving in the opposite direction of Earth, producing impact speeds of 160,000 mph (72 kilometers per second) – higher than many other meteors.

"Such speeds tend to produce meteors with hues of white, blue, aquamarine and even green," says Joe Rao, SPACE.com's skywatching columnist.

How to watch

The best viewing will be in rural areas. Get out of town if you can. If you have local lights, scout a location in advance where the lights are blocked by a building, tree or hill.

Dress warmly, and take a blanket or lounge chair so you can lie back and scan as much of the sky as possible. "At this time of year, meteor watching can be a long, cold business," Rao reminds people.

Leonids can appear anywhere, but if you trace them back, they all point to a hub, or radiant, in the constellation Leo – hence the name.

Give your eyes 15 minutes to adjust to the darkness. Then give the show at least a half-hour. The hourly rates stated above typically come in bursts, with lulls that may test your patience. No special equipment is needed. Telescopes and binoculars are of no use because meteors move too quickly.

When to watch

Earth will pass through one of the denser debris streams at around 4 a.m. EST (1 a.m. PST) Tuesday. If you have only an hour or less to watch, center it around this time. Leo will be high in the sky for East Coast skywatchers, putting more meteors into view. In the West, Leo will be low in the eastern sky at this time, so fewer shooting stars will be above the horizon, and therefore Western skywatchers should also try to stick it out until daybreak.

Across Europe, the best bet is to watch anytime between 1 a.m. and daybreak local time.

The planet will pass through an even denser stream later, just before dawn Wednesday in Indonesia and China, but that show won't be visible from North America because it will be daytime here.

One truth about the Leonids: They always produce, and they sometimes produce spectacular, unforgettable fireballs.

http://www.space.com/spacewatch/0911...ower-2009.html

Viewers Guide for different parts of the world: http://www.space.com/spacewatch/0911...or-shower.html

[leekohler]

Man! I wish I could see them. I live in the city and all the lights make it nearly impossible.

[harperjones99]

Originally Posted by leekohler

Man! I wish I could see them. I live in the city and all the lights make it nearly impossible.

Yeah I am in a craphole country that has clouds covering the sky for half the year. I miss seeing stars.

[abijnk]

Damn you Los Angeles...

[joepunk]

it's been pouring rain for days in the PNW

[Zombie Acorn]

I'll check it out while im taking my dog out tonight. If I had the motivation and it didn't snow slush all day id probably take my cam out.

[MacNut]

Im hoping the clouds move away. They are spotty now.

[thejadedmonkey]

Thanks for reminding me!

[leomac08]

Damm Los Angeles!!!!!!!!!!!!!damm:d

[jmann]

Originally Posted by leomac08

Damm Los Angeles!!!!!!!!!!!!!damm:d

I feel your pain. Over here in santa clarita it's not much better than inglewood. I'm gonna go outside again in a few minutes to see if it's any better. I was outside for like 15 minutes and didn't see anything but stars.

[Gonzo3333]

Stupid clouds and City lights!!. I once saw a meteor shower in 2000 or 2001 with a great display of the Northern Lights. That was probably the coolest natural thing I have ever witnessed. On a side note I also have seen an iridium flare (not natural) in the Boundary Waters back in 2005. My sister did see the International Space Station last Thursday outside her apartment.

[todd2000]

Well so far I've seen 1 . It's a little cloudy here, and despite driving around for 45 minutes I still can't seem to find a spot to try to watch them. Call me a wuss if you must, but I just get freaked out sitting alone on some back country road in the middle of nowhere VA in the dark. I usually last 5 minutes and then drive away.

I watched from my front lawn for about 10 minutes, and saw 1 through the clouds. Im gonna wait about 45 and try again, their supposed to peak around 4.

[jecapaga]

Originally Posted by todd2000

Well so far I've seen 1 . It's a little cloudy here, and despite driving around for 45 minutes I still can't seem to find a spot to try to watch them. Call me a wuss if you must, but I just get freaked out sitting alone on some back country road in the middle of nowhere VA in the dark. I usually last 5 minutes and then drive away.

I watched from my front lawn for about 10 minutes, and saw 1 through the clouds. Im gonna wait about 45 and try again, their supposed to peak around 4.

Danville is some back country. Been through there a couple times. I'm afraid out here I won't see crap.

[todd2000]

Originally Posted by jecapaga

Danville is some back country. Been through there a couple times. I'm afraid out here I won't see crap.

Danville it-self isn't so bad, but when you start taking all these back rounds into the "County" as they say round here (Im from NJ) It starts to get freaky at night. You never know what, or who might come out of the bushes, complete with shotgun or something.

As for the meteors I don't have the patience to stand on my lawn for an hour staring at the one open spot in the clouds to see 1 meteor. Im going to bed!

[leomac08]

Originally Posted by jmann

I feel your pain. Over here in santa clarita it's not much better than inglewood. I'm gonna go outside again in a few minutes to see if it's any better. I was outside for like 15 minutes and didn't see anything but stars.

Should have gone to Palmdale or Lancaster....haha

[jmann]

Originally Posted by leomac08

Should have gone to Palmdale or Lancaster....haha

Lol wouldn't have done you any good. While I could see stars, I didn't see one meteor. I was out there for like an hour too.

[Gonzo3333]

If anybody is interested in finding out when the International Space Station is going overhead here is a website that may come in handy.

http://www.heavens-above.com/

You can see where the ISS is in relation to your location.