The Leonids Peak Tonight

[Speed]

And early tommorrow morning. :-)

http://skyandtelescope.com/observing...cle_1362_1.asp

[Chunk]

And early tommorrow morning. :-)

http://skyandtelescope.com/observing...cle_1362_1.asp

Thanks Speed. I hope the weather clears here.

[Speed]

Thanks Speed. I hope the weather clears here.

Ditto! I've got overcast skies right now! :-(

Hopefully it will clear up tonight.

[opus]

"In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the Leonids peak tonight ... "

[Speed]

And I saw a grand total of one (1) meteor, and that was while I was setting up my camera!

I spent nearly two hours out (10pm to midnight) and shot about 20 frames hoping to catch a meteor or two. Maybe I'll get some nice constellation shots.

Anyone have better luck?

[Chunk]

All clouds in southern Wisconsin.
Wait'll next year!

[walterick]

Hey Speedo thanks for making this post I had actually forgotten until I saw it...

Unfortunately I was feeling very homely last night and didn't make it out. We had clear skies here after about 10pm. I sat by the window for a while looking at the cold and scanning the skies for meteors but didn't see any. I guess this was a (very) off year? The normal rate for a non-shower night is about 5/hr!

Anyways, Geminids?

Rick

[opus]

just a comment about you feeling "homely" last night... I felt the same way too. I was of a very strong mindset last night that I just neeeeded to stay in the warm comfort of my little house and not set foot outside.

Winter must be just around the corner.

[Speed]

Hey Speedo thanks for making this post I had actually forgotten until I saw it...

Unfortunately I was feeling very homely last night and didn't make it out. We had clear skies here after about 10pm. I sat by the window for a while looking at the cold and scanning the skies for meteors but didn't see any. I guess this was a (very) off year? The normal rate for a non-shower night is about 5/hr!

Anyways, Geminids?

Rick

Rickster,

I'm always game for a good meteor shower. And one day, I'm going to catch one of those outstanding shots like you see in Astronomy or Sky and Telescope. ;-)

I think you are right about this being an off-year. Usually after a meteor shower, Sky and Telescope will post a couple of shots. They haven't posted any this time.

[Chunk]

And early tommorrow morning. :-)

http://skyandtelescope.com/observing...cle_1362_1.asp

Do these folks have the date wrong??
http://spaceweather.com/

[Speed]

Do these folks have the date wrong??
http://spaceweather.com/

Now that's very curious!

Meteor showers usually last for a week or two, with some, like the Taurids, lasting nearly a month. But the peak is the peak (or so I thought). How they come up with two different peaks is beyond me!!! So maybe Friday night will be a good night.

BTW, usual meteor activity is 6 to 10 meteors an hour. A rate of 5 to 15 an hour is a weak shower. The difference is, there should be 5 to 15 Leonids per hour, in addition to the usual transient meteors. Also, Leonids are famous for being pretty bright and leaving lingering trails, which might last for half a second to several seconds. They should make for nice photo's if you can capture a few.