Leonids meteor shower 2012.

[JB80 (Jarrod)]

I suppose everyone will be nursing an eclipse hangover but people shouldn't forget the annual Leonids meteor shower.

http://meteorshowersonline.com/leonids.html

The Leonids generally begin on November 13 and end on November 21, with maximum generally occurring during the night of Novemer 17/18. The Leonids are barely detectable on the beginning and ending dates, but observers are generally treated to displays of about 10 meteors per hour on the night of maximum. About every 33 years, the Leonids enter a phase of enhanced activity that accompanies the return of its parent comet. During these periods, rates can amount to hundreds and even thousands of meteors per hour. The last such enhanced period occurred during the period of 1998-2002 and the Leonids have been winding down ever since.

This year there could be two peaks with the gradual build up and decline of the intial peak on the 17th of November and then a possible sharp peak of fainter meteors on the 20th.

http://www.imo.net/calendar/2012#leo
http://feraj.narod.ru/Radiants/Predi...ds2012eng.html

Clear Skies all.

[Danack (Dan Ackroyd)]

FYI i just checked Stellarium and it looks like Leo is rising in the east-north-east and would be best viewed as close to dawn as you can bear, as it will be quite low on the 13th, getting higher each day.

[mswhin63 (Malcolm)]

Originally Posted by Danack

FYI i just checked Stellarium and it looks like Leo is rising in the east-north-east and would be best viewed as close to dawn as you can bear, as it will be quite low on the 13th, getting higher each day.

Combined with summer daylight in OZ it may be a difficult one to see

[spidersfrommars (Ziggy)]

Hey I'm a complete star-gazing noob, but can I just confirm this. From SE Queensland, the best time/place to view the Leonids this year will be looking North-East on 17 November from about 4am? Thanks.

[Astroman (Andrew Wall)]

I'll be out that morning also, good thing is, it's falls on a weekend and there is no moon to worry about

[JB80 (Jarrod)]

Ziggy, that sounds about right. The best way to check for you exactly where you are would be to download Stellarium, http://www.stellarium.org/ which is free software and once you put your details in it will show you exactly where and when Leo will rise. As it's been said it will be really early for Australia but I think if you are viewing from 3 or 4 am until sunrise it will give you a good chance of seeing something.

I'll be on holiday in Scotland so I'm not convinced the weather will be clear, it can't be any worse than here though.

[icytailmark (Mark)]

will you be able to see this in Sydney or do i need to get out of the city to see?