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| There are indications that
this year’s Leonids may put on a good show. The moon in full, but it’s
in the opposite part of the sky from the radiant, so we may see some good
Leonids in spite of the moonlight.
The sharply defined peak of activity is expected to occur between 3 and 5 AM on the morning of November 19. Because this is so early – or late, depending on your view – we will not try to host any organized viewing. You’ll be on your own this year. The star chart shows the eastern sky at 4:00 AM on the morning of Nov 19. Our Leonids are expected to arrive in a sharply defined peak between 3 and 5 AM, as many as some hundreds per hour. The bad news is the nearly full moon. However, the moon is due west, and the Leonid radiant is due east. Your best bet is to spend most of your time facing north or south. The paths of all the meteors can be traced backward to the radiant, but the meteors can appear anywhere in the sky. The Leonids are the fastest meteors known, travelling about 44 miles per second. Most of the meteors are about the size of grains of sand. Occasional fireballs are somewhat larger. Friction with the earth’s atmosphere heats these particles to incandescence, and burns them up. Good hunting! For more information on the Leonids, see the November issues of Astronomy and Sky and Telescope, available at the Sul Ross Library. |
You can print a copy of this star chart so you can take it outside.
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