Meteor Shower this Sunday Morning

[Rick in PA]

Got a tip from a friend that there will probably be a Leonid meteor shower this Sunday morning that could be worth getting up to watch (November 18th at 4:00AM to 6:00AM EST).

Here's a link to a useful page: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast08nov_1.htm

[PTHoosier]

Thanks for the link Rick! I'm getting up real early to watch. I hope this fog bank we're in moves by then.

[YLEKYOT]

Oklahoma is out for the viewing. Complete cloud cover. }

[QuicksilverDon]

Just checked skies - clear and dark. I live in far West Joisey - farm country - good for star gazing. Gonna sack out soon & get up later. Thanks for link.

Never miss the Leonid shower... last years was unimpressive but a couple years ago it was the best meteor shower I've seen in my life! Huge fireballs!

Yleklot... don't send those clouds our way... forecast for overcast by sunrise..

[YLEKYOT]

Big Kahuna (18 Nov, 2001 01:13 a.m.):

Yleklot... don't send those clouds our way... forecast for overcast by sunrise..

I'll try my best Kahuna. It's 0215 CST and still solid clouds here.

[PTHoosier]

Well, we got to see a few big fireballs here in Hoosier-land. Lots of quick streaks. A smattering of sparkly tails that lingered and one that broke up and looked like a cloud for a minute or so. The fog lifted just in time and was starting to roll back in near the end of the peak.
Sometimes you just get lucky.

[KanCruiser]

Hoosier, et al -- so far, I have seen just one. We have what I would call rolling broken clouds here; stepped out on the porch and through the moving opening in the clouds saw a short, bright streak of light. Nothing since then, bammit, as the grandsons sometimes say. :/

[QuicksilverDon]

My daughter had 4 friends sleeping over - got everyone up at 04:30, put beach blankets on lawn & everyone laid out - it was 28 degrees! AWESOME. We saw dozens upon dozens - sometimes 2 at a time. The NASA link showed where to look, but they were everywhere! Some wispy clouds drifted in but didn't obscure much. We stayed for about an hour, loving every minute - punctuated with Ooohs and Aaahs, like for fireworks. Slept late this morning..

[Rick in PA]

Managed about 45 minutes (4:30 - 5:15) saw a fair number of streaks, some left glimmering trails that persisted for several seconds. Thought about how small our habital world is. Even though the atmosphere extends 100 miles up, (where the meteors are), the breathable atmosphere is only 2 miles thick. Imagine a thin shell 2 miles thick on the surface of a planet 7,000 miles in diameter. Seems pretty small in this vast universe....

Next meteor shower I gotta' prepare better, sleeping bag and lawn chair or blanket (I'm out of practice for this stuff).