Leonid Meteor Shower 2009, peak tonight

[DearAbby]

The Leonid meteor shower, one of the most stunning annual meteor showers, will peak early Tuesday morning, November 17, 2009.

[alphafemale]

1. Amazing. It's actually stunningly clear here right now.

It usually is cloudy/rainy during a meteor shower.

What phase is the moon in?

[arcadian]

8. New Moon was last night

edit: actually says November 16, but I think it was this morning.

[alphafemale]

14. sweet. thnx nt

[Tansy_Gold]

2. K&R

'cause I think this stuff is cool and because I live in an area where the lights are few and sky-obscuring trees even fewer.


TG

[daleanime]

3. Thanks!

Will see if I can caught it.

[NRaleighLiberal]

4. Moon is perfect for tonight. In 2000/2001, this was spectacular -

this year not so much, but still should be impressive. We here in Raleigh were just told clouds could come in 3-4 AM and screw it up!

In 2000, we saw up to 500 per hour early in the morning before sunrise - looked like we were driving the earth through snow flurries!

[OneGrassRoot]

16. What timeframe is the peak expected? n/t

[DearAbby]

5. Probably be bitter cold here

DearAbner and I will try to go out and watch.

[elocs]

6. The meteor showers have been really poor here in WI in recent years.

Fortunately I will be up and outside working from 3:30 a.m. so hopefully I will see some this time.

[NRaleighLiberal]

7. Very few showers are all that outstanding - Perseids in August,

sometimes the Gemenids and Orionids - only the Leonids can put on the spectacular show, but only for very narrow time windows in particular years (like 2000/2001).

[elocs]

11. Years ago watching a Leonid shower from my backyard one was so big and bright

that I actually involuntarily took a step back from it. I've never seen one that good since and I have watched a lot of years.

[arcadian]

9. From what direction in the sky?

[NRaleighLiberal]

12. Look to the Northeast. Constellation Leo (big bright large sickle shape)

Reason that the shower is best at 2-3 AM and later is that is when Leo starts getting higher in the sky.

[arcadian]

20. Thanks, I knew they were named after their apparent point of origin.

In the sky, wasn't sure where Leo would be though. D

[guitar man]

10. solid overcast here

:(

[Speck Tater]

13. Many wonderous tale have I heard of marvelous lights in the sky.

One large light in the daytime sky of blue and many sparkling tiny lights in the night sky of black. But we here in the land of Orygun know better than to believe such fantasies. Even the youngest child knows that the sky is light gray by day and dark gray by night and such fanciful lights cannot possibly exist.

[pscot]

15. Solid overcast at 500 feet

visibility less than a mile. If an asteroid the size of a Humvee landed in Seattle I'd have to read about in the paper (if we had a paper).

[gratuitous]

17. Same here

Why hasn't the Obama administration done something about cloudy weather in the Pacific Northwest in November? Is this inability or unwillingness to do something a complete failure or an epic failure?

[yodoobo]

18. I saw a meteor last night when I was on a midnight stroll

It was incredible. I just happened to lookup and saw a white and red streak across the night sky.

First time I had ever seen one.

[WillyT]

19. Thanks For The Reminder !!! - K & R !!!

:yourock:

:kick: