[Ravensfort] Fwd: [Ansteorra] This weekend's meteor shower

[charlotte epps]

What HE Emrys fails to mention is that on Saturday the skies should be
clear!
>Greetings from Sir Emrys Shaunnon, staff astronomer at the Scobee
>Planetarium in San Antonio.
>
>      As many across Ansteorra will be attending events this weekend,
>allow me to mention a celestial event that may prove to be quite
>spectacular.  Sky watchers across the globe are anticipating the early
>morning hours of November 17th and 18th.  We may witness more than a
>meteor shower - possibly a meteor storm!
>
>The Cause of the Celestial Fireworks
>      The Leonid meteor shower is produced by comet Tempel-Tuttle, a
>comet discovered in 1865 by Ernst Tempel and Horace Tuttle.  Soon after
>the comet's detection, calculations revealed that the comet orbited the
>Sun every 33.25 years.  Each November, our planet intersects
>Tempel-Tuttle's orbit and we pass through the particle stream left in
>the comet's wake.   In normal years when the comet is far from the Sun
>and we travel through a less dense portion of the particle stream, we
>see a display of about 15 to 20 meteors per hour.  However, when the
>meteor shower's parent comet returns to the vicinity of both the Sun and
>Earth, more intense meteor displays are often observed.
>      The comet's most recent visit took place in February of 1998.  As a
>result, the Leonid displays of 1999 and 2000 were quite good, with some
>locations reporting hundreds of meteors observed for brief periods.
>Once more our planet is about to pass through a concentration of rock
>and ice particles and it's possible a very intense meteor shower may
>take place this weekend.
>
>Great Expectations?
>      In the November 2001 issue of Sky & Telescope magazine,
>meteorologist Joe Rao assessed the predictions provided three teams of
>specialists, who agree that two dramatic storms appear likely.  A burst
>lasting perhaps two hours is expected in the predawn hours of November
>18th for observers throughout most of North and Central America. The
>maximum rates should occur near 4:00 a.m. CST.  With no moonlight
>spoiling the view, the storm may briefly spawn anywhere from several
>hundred to perhaps 1,000 or 2,000 meteors per hour for observers with
>clear, very dark skies.  Another prediction, issued recently by NASA
>researcher Peter Jenniskens, argues that the hourly rate could top
>4,000.  An even bigger storm is expected 8 hours later for viewers
>rimming the far-western Pacific Ocean.
>
>More Data
>    The narrowest, densest part of the meteor swarm is a ribbon like
>particle stream no more than an estimated 20,000 miles wide, but this
>stream stretches out to the orbit of the planet Uranus.  The Leonid
>meteoroids and the Earth orbit the Sun in nearly opposite directions, so
>the meteors collide with the Earth's atmosphere nearly head-on at a
>speed of 44 miles per second!  The average size of most meteoritic
>particles is less than the diameter of a grain of sand.  We are in no
>danger because all the meteoritic particles vaporize during their fiery
>passage through the Earth's protective atmosphere.
>
>Radiant Constellation
>      This famous meteor shower is called the Leonids because the meteors
>appear to originate from the constellation of Leo the Lion, more
>specifically from the stars that trace out the head of Leo.
>Leo rise above the eastern horizon between midnight and 1:00 a.m. and as
>the night progresses, Leo ascends higher above the eastern horizon.
>This is why the Leonid meteor shower is best seen after midnight through
>the predawn hours.  The meteors will seem to come from the east, but
>they will be seen all over the sky.
>
>Best Observing Times - The early morning hours of November 17th and 18th
>between the hours of midnight and 6:00 a.m., with a possible peak near
>4:00a.m. Sunday morning the 18th.
>Best Observing Equipment - Your eyes, binoculars and telescopes are not
>necessary.
>Best Observing Location - Out in the country away from any bright
>lights.
>Highly Recommended - A comfortable chair and warm clothing.
>
>An Important Announcement
>      If you are a sky watcher, you know that the city is the worst place
>to watch a meteor shower due to the glare of city lights.  Only a few,
>bright meteors can be glimpsed from a city.  A trip to the country is
>definitely recommended.
>
>      And finally, Brianna and I plan to attend the Bodermarch event this
>weekend and we would enjoy watching this event with you.  A display of
>celestial fireworks would be quite a way to celebrate the investiture of
>a new Baron and Baroness!
>
>Until then, "keep watching the skies",
>Emrys
>Baron of Bjornsborg
>
>
>
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