A burst of 1999 Leonid meteors as seen at 38,000 feet from Leonid Multi Instrument Aircraft Campaign (Leonid MAC) with 50 mm camera. Image Credit: NASA/Ames Research Center/ISAS/Shinsuke Abe and Hajime Yano
The Leonids, which peak during mid-November each year, are considered to be a major shower though meteor rates are often as low as about 15 meteors per hour. The Leonids are bright meteors and can also be colorful. They are also fast: Leonids travel at speeds of 44 miles (71 kilometers) per second, and are considered to be some of the fastest meteors out there.
Every 33 years, or so, viewers on Earth may experience a Leonid storm that can peak with hundreds to thousands of meteors seen per hour depending on the location of the observer.
A meteor storm versus a shower is defined as having at least 1,000 meteors per hour. Viewers in 1966 experienced a spectacular Leonid storm: thousands of meteors per minute fell through Earth's atmosphere during a 15 minute period. There were so many meteors seen that they appeared to fall like rain. The last Leonid meteor storm took place in 2002.
Leonids are also known for their fireballs and earthgrazer meteors. Fireballs are larger explosions of light and color that can persist longer than an average meteor streak. This is due to the fact that fireballs originate from larger particles of cometary material. Fireballs are also brighter, with magnitudes brighter than -3. Earthgrazers are meteors that streak close to the horizon and are known for their long and colorful tails.
The Leonids are best viewed starting at about midnight local time. Find an area well away from city or street lights. Come prepared for winter temperatures with a sleeping bag, blanket or lawn chair. Orient yourself with your feet towards east, lie flat on your back, and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible. In less than 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will begin to see meteors. Be patient -- the show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse.
Meteors come from leftover comet particles and bits from broken asteroids. When comets come around the sun, the dust they emit gradually spreads into a dusty trail around their orbits. Every year the Earth passes through these debris trails, which allows the bits to collide with our atmosphere where they disintegrate to create fiery and colorful streaks in the sky.
The pieces of space debris that interact with our atmosphere to create the Leonids originate from comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. It takes comet Tempel-Tuttle 33 years to orbit the sun once.
Comet Tempel-Tuttle was discovered twice independentlyin 1865 and 1866 by Ernst Tempel and Horace Tuttle, respectively. Tempel-Tuttle is a small cometits nucleus measures only about 2.24 miles (3.6 kilometers) across.
You should not look only to the constellation of Leo to view the Leonidsthey are visible throughout the night sky. It is actually better to view the Leonids away from the radiant: They will appear longer and more spectacular from this perspective. If you do look directly at the radiant, you will find that the meteors will be shortthis is an effect of perspective called foreshortening.
Determine Meteor Shower Activity for Where You Live
http://leonid.arc.nasa.gov/estimator.html
Eyewitness Accounts of the 1966 Storm
http://leonid.arc.nasa.gov/1966.html
Read more from the original source:
In Depth | Leonids Solar System Exploration: NASA Science
- 2D Laser Profiling Scanner for Detecting Targets [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- NASA Energy Concept Could Harness the Power of Ocean Waves [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Data Acquisition Modules [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Dr. Scott Barthelmy, Research Scientist, Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Laser Tracker Ensures Accurate Alignment of Ares I Components [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Dual Cryogenic Capacitive Density Sensor [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Advanced Technologies Will Help Hubble Yield More Remarkable Discoveries [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Dr. Gerard Holzmann, Senior Research Scientist at the Laboratory for Reliable Software, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- NASA Research Will Help Aircraft Avoid Ocean Storms and Turbulence [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- NASA Awards 2008 Software of the Year [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Here Come The Tricorders - Update [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- China's View on Space [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Milsat Coordination and Tracking Issues [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Trash Talking and End Runs at NASA HQ [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Ares 1-Y is Toast [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Beyond Augustine [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Analyzing LCROSS' Plume [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Live Event: NASA-Sponsored Power Beaming Challenge [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- JSC Wants To Build a Replicator [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- USA: Looking For Ways To Hang On [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Lunar Lander Challenge Prizes Awarded [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Senate Votes To Restore NASA Budget Cuts [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- New FAA Regs for Commercial Reentry [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- TEDxNASA: An Invitation-Only NASA Meeting - Unless You Are Lucky [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Close Call For Courtney Stadd [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Space: A Waste? [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Making NASA Cool [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Engaging JSC’s Next Gen: A Leadership Analysis [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Dumpster Diving for Rockets [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- TEDx NASA [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Reflections On a Business Trip in Huntsville [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Staying the Course [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- The Economics of Space [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Ideas at Work [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Blah Blah Blah - Why We Should Care About Social Media [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Will White House Speak Soon About NASA? [Last Updated On: December 12th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 12th, 2009]
- Software Aids Design of Ares V Composite Shroud Structure [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- ASDX Series of silicon pressure sensors [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Industry Update: Analysis & Simulation Software [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Battery Will Provide Backup Power for Space Shuttles [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- NASA Employee Claims To Have Witnessed Hijacking Planning [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Big Party in The Mojave Tonight [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Looking at Boulders on the Moon [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- SpaceBook Featured by White House [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- New Ways to Use Constellation Stuff [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- LaRC internal Poll Update [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Coalition for Space Exploration Does a (Much Needed) Reboot [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Lunar Orbiter: Comparing Old and New Images [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Boulder Trails On The Moon [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Vote for John Grunsfeld - National Geographic Adventurer of the YeAR [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Charlie Bolden at WIA/AIAA [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Live Webcast From The Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Big Aerospace Warns of Job Cut Impact [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- The Boulders of Copernicus [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- shame on us [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- 2009 Space Elevator Games [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Random Hacks of Kindness [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- TEDx NASA Tickets Available to the Public [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- It’s better in person [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Leading Amidst the Disruptive Innovation Storm [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Space: What’s NOT to Hope for? [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Government in the Digital Age [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- SpaceUp – A Space Unconference [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Starfleet Academy? [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Crowdsourcing NASA [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Bringing Home The Bacon [Last Updated On: December 14th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 14th, 2009]
- Anti-Space Mom with Pro-Space Kids [Last Updated On: December 14th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 14th, 2009]
- How Quickly We Forget [Last Updated On: December 14th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 14th, 2009]
- WISE Launch A Success [Last Updated On: December 14th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 14th, 2009]
- Dynetics Buys Orion Propulsion [Last Updated On: December 15th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 15th, 2009]
- New NASA Governance Structure Under Development [Last Updated On: December 16th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 16th, 2009]
- Bolden Meets With Obama on Wednesday [Last Updated On: December 16th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 16th, 2009]
- MSFC Procurement Doesn't Understand what "Open Source" Means [Last Updated On: December 16th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 16th, 2009]
- Bolden Meets With Obama [Last Updated On: December 17th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 17th, 2009]
- Parker Griffith AT MSFC Today [Last Updated On: December 18th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 18th, 2009]
- Why Your NASA Computer May Not Work Properly [Last Updated On: December 18th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 18th, 2009]
- Lakes and Fog on Titan [Last Updated On: December 18th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 18th, 2009]
- Waterworld Found [Last Updated On: December 18th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 18th, 2009]
- Pandora Could Exist [Last Updated On: December 18th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 18th, 2009]
- Laurie Leshin Is The New ESMD Deputy AA [Last Updated On: December 18th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 18th, 2009]