Leonids Question

[NeilW]

Hi All,

When I read in almanacs and on web sites that the Leonids will probably peak on the 18th of November, does that mean early hours of the 18th, or the night of the 18th going in to early morning of the 19th?

Thanks,

[dannat]

Are they US sources, we are usually the night before! Just had a look - the moon is very close to the radiant, the glow I'll lessen what you can see this year

[Rob_K]

Leonids peak will be 03:40 UT on the 18th according to the IMO calendar, so that is 2:40pm on the 18th for us easterners with daylight saving, in broad daylight. Adjust for your time in Adelaide.
http://www.imo.net/calendar/2011#leo

In the link you'll see that minor peaks at different times are also being predicted.

The radiant will be rising a little before 3am AEDST (UT+11) on the morning of the 18th, and between then and dawn will be the closest we'll get it to peak. However the radiant will rise a little behind a last quarter Moon so the sky will be fairly bright. Not the greatest opportunity really. :sadeyes:

Cheers -

[mishku]

But you could have a go on days either side if prevailing conditions don't permit good seeing on that evening...

A recent evening with the ASV taught me that the best time for viewing tends to be the early hours of the morning from 3am onwards, and you could still have a crack at some radio observation of meteorites as late as 10am (though obviously, you won't be able to see them - but you could still certainly detect them via radio)

[bartman]

So ....for us westeners it will be around midnight?
Does that mean we'll have a greater chance ( apart from the moon) of having a better view?
Bartman

[Rob_K]

Yes & no Bartman - because you're further west your pre-dawn skies will be closer in time to the predicted peak (11:40am instead of 2:40pm) so that would give you a better chance. But the radiant rises at roughly the same time in the night for you (2:40am WST) as for easterners because that's what time zones do - ensure everyone's days are light and nights are dark LOL! I shouldn't have written the "adjust your time" note there, it should have been in the first sentence, sorry (will change). Good luck if you're going to observe them! :thumbsup:

Cheers -

[bartman]

Thanks Rob,
Yep I will be trying!!!!!
:)
Bartman

[Astroman]

Yes good luck if you capture any faint ones this year. Moon is in a really bad spot and will be a pain, but like anything, give it a go, you might see a bolide or two. You can sometimes view earth grazers before the radiant rises also :) unfortunately the moon will be up for that too :( I am planning on viewing either side of the predicted peak, east of Adelaide (just on the other side of the Adelaide Hills), usually (in my experiences) get better numbers then. Haven't seen a perfect prediction of the leonids yet, so always good to look before, during and after the predicted times...

[NeilW]

Thank guys...I'll be out there weather permitting, for better or worse. :)