Having consulted all the authoritative sources and applied my best
scientific judgment (reading tea leaves and Tarot cards), I have concluded
that the prime time for observing the Leonid meteors this year in our location
is the night of November 17-18. The Leonids arise mostly from sand-grain
sized debris cast off by Comet Temple-Tuttle, discovered in 1866.
Swift-Tuttle
has a period of 33.25 years. Because 1966 was a spectacular year for the
Leonids, we thought last year might offer a great display – and it was
pretty good. We saw some fireballs that lit up the ground, but the display
was not up to the standards of a true meteor storm. So this year we have
another chance (maybe) to observe another meteor storm (or maybe not).
The
star chart shows the sky at 1:00 AM CST on November 18 (please remember
we’ll be off daylight saving). Because of the relative motion of the earth
and the stream of cometary debris, the Leonids seem to radiate from a point
in the Sickle of Leo, in much the way snowflakes seem to come toward you
from a point if you’re driving at night in a snowstorm.
The
radiant rises about 12:30 AM on November 18. The best time for the Leonids
will be between that time and dawn, especially after the 1st quarter moon
(69.4% lighted) sets at 2:13 AM (but we may see some
Leonids earlier, as we did last year). The light
gray lines show the paths of some possible Leonids, which can
show up anywhere in the sky. The paths of meteors
closer to the radiant are shorter, whereas those farther away have longer
paths.
If
you’re awake before dawn on the 17th and 19th, spend a few minutes watching.
You might get lucky and see a fireball or two. For more information, see
the excellent article in the November Sky and Telescope, pp. 18-35 (available
at the Sul Ross Library, if you’re not a subscriber). Good hunting!
You can print a copy of this star chart so you
can take it outside.
