Leonid Meteor Shower

[jimg]

:hi:
What date is MAX for the Leonid Meteor Shower the morning of 17 or 18th of Nov. I was viewing the Taurids at a Dark site and was lucky to see a meteor the colour ORANGE ? :help::thanx:

[mental4astro]

Here's a link for the meteor showers for this year (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_meteor_showers). The Leonids are listed as the 17th. Just check on the site for which the maxima is set for. If it's for the USA, then the max for us is probably the 18th.

The orange colour of a meteor isn't unusual. I've seen green ones too. Very much depends on the mineral content, and to extent the entry velocity, of the stuff that's entering the atmosphere. At a star party I was at some 15 year ago we saw a brilliant fireball that seemed to explode regulary as pieces broke off it and were flung off. It was an extraordinary sight.

Mental.

[Suzy]

According to Astronomy 2012 Australia, it's saying it's on the 17th (I too was confused with the Au & US dates).

The book said that it is one of the better meteor showers to observe but the amount of them can vary year to year, with some years producing many. It also said to check how active it is closer to the peak, so I guess I'll go off to google land to find that information.

Baz did a terrific article on it on his website. You can read it here. (http://www.asignobservatoryii.com/celestialevents.htm)
The best time to observe with would be between about 3am to 4.00 Brisbane time I'd say (before dawn creeps in at 4.30am).

I'm no expert with meteor shower times, but I did read somewhere a couple of days ago that these are best observed closest to dawn :question:. I wonder if starting at 2am would be okay? Could someone please comment?
I ask that because astronomical twillight here in Brisbane is around 3.30am, and civil 4.30am. I'm guessing civil will be okay sky for meteors though?

[bartman]

Strange that Suzy, dawn creeps up at 4:30 am here too:confused2::screwy:....that is in the West to the West of the far Western suburbs of Brisbane........unless I'm getting confuseded....too:confused2:
Anyhoe I'll try and have the camera set up anyway!
Bartman

[jimg]

:hi:
Guys :thanx: for the info it must have been a sight for mental4astro some 15 years ago. I will hopefully view the shower on the morning of the 18th after 2am at dark site. Interesting about Mineral Content and Velocity for colour variation.It is so interesting meteors as they are unpredictable and exciting to watch :D. You never know what to expect.

[Suzy]

:shrug: It's fairly bright here at 5am, that much I know. I'm often up around 3.30am lately & it's dark. So I figure somewhere around 4-ish it dawn breaks thru.:question: One of the articles I read said best viewed between 3 & 4am.
I also looked here (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/moonphase.html) and got the times which does seem to match up the dawn time in my area. Scroll down the page to find civilian times & astronomical times for your area- & it also explains what each means.
Ron would know, but he's having a big day out up north today grrrr.

My main question here is can I start viewing them earlier, say 2am or are most visible just before dawn.

[astroron]

Suzy,You can start observing any time from 23:00 onwards tonight till Dawn tomorrow morning and the same again tomorrow night.:)
Cheers:thumbsup:

[Suzy]

Hi Ron, thanks :thumbsup:
But Leo doesn't get to an alt. of 28deg at 3am here in Brisbane. Slightly confused. :confused2:

[astroron]

The constellation does not have to be above the Horizon to see the meteors, the radiant Point may be below the Horizon but the meteors will still be seen Suzy:D
Cheers:thumbsup:

[Suzy]

Yaaaaaaay!
I'm excited!
Thank you!

[bloodhound31]

Hi guys. You are basically looking for a time when Leo is up, (the higher the better) while the sun is still not up yet. Look to the north east early morning from around 2am onwards.

Try to imagine your head is the earth and as you move in your orbit across the garden, someone turns the hose on fan-spray at you. As you look at it head-on, the droplets seem to fan out from a central point, namely the hose nozzel.

Similarly, Leo is the hose nozzel. You can see all the meteorites fanning out from there. Sometimes you might get only a few in an hour, sometimes more.

The trail that the Earth passes through behind the wake of a comet, it like a car travelling on a dirt road, sometimes it's really dusty, sometimes it's stone and loose pebble, other times it turns to bitumen. Similarly, the Earth passes each year through a different part of the comet's wake. Sometimes we pass through a clean spot and we only get a few meteors. Other times it's really dirty and the whole sky can turn to fire.

Predictions are not historically good. All I can say is, get out there and get those long exposures going on a wide section of sky. Keep taking them all night. You never know when we might hit a big patch of bulldust!

Baz.

[bloodhound31]

Hi guys, I just drew up a quick example of what the meteors would look like before Leo rises, while the radiant is still below the horizon.

[Suzy]

Baz, thank you so much- you've explained all that really well. From the help that you and Ron have given, I understand now!
The picture was also a huge help- as soon as I saw it "I got it". In my brain I was trying so hard to picture it (as you'd gathered!).
I really am very grateful for the trouble that you went to. And btw I loved the picture!

[cometcatcher]

Did anyone see anything this morning? I tried to look at 4:30am, only looked for a minute but too tired and went back to sleep lol.

[bloodhound31]

Always a pleasure Suzy. :thumbsup:

[Suzy]

Hi Kevin, I was hoping to see them tonight but we having a huge lightning storm & lots of rain the last couple of hours- the sky just keeps on being a-glow! I don't think it looks good for me this am. :mad2:

[Vegeta]

Will the sky just stay clear!!!

126802

[doppler]

They are out there. The night before the eclipse we were camped out northwest of cairns and saw quite a few shooting stars. In the early morning I saw a slow fireball drop straight down lighting up the clouds in the distance.

[doppler]

I captured this shot of a fireball while imaging comet hauketake. It was on 35mm film so i had to wait a few days tor the film to be proccesed to see if i did actually capture it. I love the instant digital age.

[cometcatcher]

That's an awesome shot!