Astronomy Picture of the Day 11-13-03

Explanation: Nestled in the central US, the state of Oklahoma is noted for its gorgeous prairie skies and wide-open spaces, but not for frequent visitations of the northern lights. Still, following the intense solar activity late last month, aurora did come sweeping down the Oklahoma plains and skywatcher Dave Ewoldt managed to catch up with this photogenic apparition 40 miles northwest of Oklahoma City at about 3am CST on October 29. Anticipating aurora sightings, Ewoldt had spent the evening photographing nighttime views of small towns in the area while keeping an eye toward the north. He reports, "I was just about ready to call it a night when the show started. When it did, it was like someone turned on a lightswitch. I wish it would have lasted longer... [it] seemed like it was completely done in about 25 minutes." Watery reflections of the colorful show highlight the foreground in the stunning image while stars of the Big Dipper and the northern sky shine behind the dazzling Oklahoma auroral display.

Keep an eye on the night sky for light shows in the next couple of weeks. Not just auroras (if those sunspots are still active) but the Leonid meteor shower is predicted to have a rare double peak this year. Tonight is the night for viewers in Alaska, Hawaii, and the Pacific Rim. A gibbous moon (5 days past full) will unfortunately interfere later at night. Rates will vary according to location and light pollution. Denizens of Los Angeles (5:15 AM Nov. 13th) will be lucky to see 10 meteors an hour. But in Tokyo (2:30 AM Nov. 14th) the rate might be as many as one per minute.

The Earth (and Moon) will that night pass through a dust trail laid down by Comet Temple-Tuttle in 1499. You won't be able to see meteoric impacts on the Moon this time; most will hit on the far side and the few that impact the visible side will be in sunlight.

The much better show will be on November 19th as Earth passes through Comet Temple-Tuttle's 1533 dust trail. This one will be best for East Coast, Southeast, and Great Lakes regions in the USA, and for the Caribbean and northern South America. The West Coast will get a weaker show, but it still will be worth checking out for meteor fans. The Moon will be a thin crescent so it will not be a factor. It probably will not impact the dust stream, so again no lunar explosions to watch for.

US, Canadian, and Mexican Local Times of Second Peak on November 19
Eastern Standard Time: 2:28 a.m. (includes Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Detroit, Indianapolis, Montreal, New York, Philadelphia, Miami, Toronto, Washington DC) Central Standard Time: 1:28 a.m. (includes Chicago, Houston, Kansas City, Little Rock, Mexico City, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, St. Louis) Mountain Standard Time: 12:28 a.m. (includes Albuquerque, Calgary, Cheyenne, Denver, Edmonton, Phoenix, Santa Fe) Pacific Standard Time: 11:28 p.m. (includes Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle)
As always, get AWAY from city lights if possible! If you're in an urban area along the Atlantic Ocean or western shore of a very large lake, go out to the shore and face the water. Leo (thus, Leonids) is an easy constellation to pick out. Its head looks like a backwards question mark with Regulus as the bright point. Here is where the meteors will appear to originate. Don't look directly at the radiant; the meteor trails there will be greatly foreshortened by perspective. Instead look up higher to see them flash by. The Leonids are the fastest meteor stream known; they impact Earth's atmosphere at a whopping 160,000 MPH. That's a head-on impact!

US, Canadian, and Mexican Local Times
of Second Peak on November 19

Eastern Standard Time: 2:28 a.m. (includes Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Detroit, Indianapolis, Montreal, New York, Philadelphia, Miami, Toronto, Washington DC)
Central Standard Time: 1:28 a.m. (includes Chicago, Houston, Kansas City, Little Rock, Mexico City, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, St. Louis)
Mountain Standard Time: 12:28 a.m. (includes Albuquerque, Calgary, Cheyenne, Denver, Edmonton, Phoenix, Santa Fe)
Pacific Standard Time: 11:28 p.m. (includes Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle)

As always, get AWAY from city lights if possible! If you're in an urban area along the Atlantic Ocean or western shore of a very large lake, go out to the shore and face the water.

Leo (thus, Leonids) is an easy constellation to pick out. Its head looks like a backwards question mark with Regulus as the bright point.

Here is where the meteors will appear to originate. Don't look directly at the radiant; the meteor trails there will be greatly foreshortened by perspective. Instead look up higher to see them flash by.

The Leonids are the fastest meteor stream known; they impact Earth's atmosphere at a whopping 160,000 MPH. That's a head-on impact!

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