previous entry - next entry

Monday 19 November 2001
leonids meteor shower

The Leonid meter shower is caused by the comet Tempel-Tuttle, which swings around the Sun every 33.2 years and leaves behind a trail of dust and debris. When Earth passes through this stream of material, the small bits -- most no larger than a grain of sand -- burn up in the atmosphere and create shooting stars.

Predicting the Leonids is a challenge because each year Earth passes through different portions of the debris stream, which itself moves through space, mingling and spreading the densest areas which are refreshed every 33.2 years.

The comet is named after Ernst Tempel and Horace Tuttle, who spotted it in 1865 and 1866. Tempel-Tuttle has a nucleus that's about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) in diameter.

welp, i got up at 3am and i had the camera's all set up, only to watch a lovely patch of dark cloud for an hour and a half =(

people in the US probably got a better view than anyone this time =p

A meteor streaks through the sky over Joshua Tree National Monument in the Southern California desert, one of hundreds seen in the early morning hours of Sunday, Nov. 18, 2001. The meteor's fiery entry into Earth's atmosphere takes just about a second in this time exposure of one minute, causing slight blurring of the stars in the sky. This year's much-anticipated Leonids shower delighted people around the world who stayed up late or woke up early to see it. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
see photo

there's another chance of seeing them tommorrow morning, same time - so i might wake up again if the cloud lifts today... maybe. and next year in the US is the last chance to see the tail end of the meteor showers i think...