November 16, 2009 9:09 PM
Meteor shower tonight - worth getting up for!
Towards the end, the article says the best time on the East coast is around 4 am.Strong Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight
Skip over this content(Nov. 16) -- 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.Skip over this contentReed Saxon, AP11 photosThe Leonid meteor shower is to peak in the hours before dawn Tuesday, and some skywatchers are in for a big show. It is expected to be exceptional in Asia, but North Americans will get a better than average display too. Here, meteors streak through the sky over Joshua Tree National Park, Calif., in a 25-minute exposure from the Leonids in November 2001.http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,localizationConfig,entry&id=752587&pid=752586&uts=1256128280http://www.aolcdn.com/ke/media_gallery/v1/ke_media_gallery_wrapper.swfMeteor Shower PhotosAn astronomer observes the Orionids at an observatory in Bulgaria Tuesday. The Orionid meteor shower occurs each year as a result of Earth passing through cosmic dust released by Halley's Comet. The radiant of the Orionids is located near the constellation Orion. Click through the gallery for images of meteor showers.Petar Petrov, APPetar Petrov, APThe 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.
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One year when we lived in California, we woke the kids up and bundled up in sleeping bags to lie on the lawn and watch the sky. The family memories made it worth it. In fact, Sophia was the one to alert me to tonight's show.
Love,
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Comments
If you missed it, don't worry -- there are more to come Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. This little tool from NASA helps figure out the peak viewing in your area.
http://leonids.arc.nasa.gov/estimator.html
Posted by: Molly | November 17, 2009 7:20 AM
