Astronomy Pictures of the Day: A Leonid Meteor Explodes; Catching Falling Stardust; Leonid Watching

NASA ^ | 2001, Nov. 16-18 | NASA

[Dog]

WOW!

[Fiddlstix]

Bump

[AngrySpud]

I didn't have the energy to stay up for the best. I watched from 1-2 AM, seeing about 100. Back up to watch from 5-5:30, seeing about 60. Good show.

[rickmoe]

why should the astronomers get the best view? seems unfair to the rest of us.

[Luis Gonzalez]

BUMP!

[pgkdan]

Wish I'd seen some. I was out from 1:00 to about 2:00, waiting for it to clear up, but it never did. There was enough of a breakup to allow me to see one streak across the sky.

It figures...we haven't had any appreciable rainfall here in SE VA in about 3 months...haven't ahd a cloudy sky in nearly that long. But last night? Clouds clouds clouds. Bummer.

[Republic]

We were socked in with fog...I was do disappointed. Could see stars directly above only-a very small window at that. Oh well...maybe tonight!

[pgkdan]

What's the best viewing time supposed to be tonight? Not 4-6 again I hope.

[Republic]

I believe it is just before dawn, unfortunately.

Callisto-your thread is fabulous! The meteor exploding and the other shots are a TEN! WOW!!!

[cdw19390]

We caught thr beautiful show off the ocean @ Southern Shores NC, the "famous Outer Banks. We watched literally hundreds of meteors. We even saw a Satellite (sic?)! Worth the price of admission.

[cake_crumb]

Thanks for the great post. We were up at 4:00AM, standing outside freezing - it was about twenty degrees here in Northern PA - and watching the display.

IMHO, it Leonids weren't as spectacular as they were a few years ago, but impressive nonetheless.

Due to our screwy schedule, neither of us get much skywatching in anymore, though we both have good telescopes. The air was so clear early this morning, and SO many stars were visible, that it was worth it weathering the cold for an hour just to see those beautiful stars. I had forgotten just how absolutely beautiful the stars are this time of year.

[callisto]

Glad you like the pictures. I've had the most fun in the last 24 hours...between watching the meteors and scoping out all of the great pictures on the net. I'm hoping they post some from last night soon. It might not be until tomorrow, though.

rickmoe: The astronomers get the best view because they can get access to the best telescopes. :)
Alas, maybe the day will come when just anyone can log onto the internet and control telescopes themselves. We can always hope.

[Kermit]

They say the peak would be at 5am, set the alarm for 4:30am, totally socked in by fog. Went back to sleep.

[winodog]

How can you tell if it is a satelitte or a high flying airplane? I see what I think are satelittes but I cant be sure. Does the sun shine off of them making it a white light or do they have other lights as well.

[Wednesday's Child]

Re: Leonid watching pictures - THAT is what I was so anxious to see!
We got up at 4AM and saw many single streaks but to see a shower like that would have been awesome.
(I am usually the one person in the group who is looking the wrong way and rarely see any shooting stars )
I am very happy we got up and watched the display.....looking forward to 2099!
Thank you so much for posting these pictures.

[mtnwmn]

The Outer Banks are spectacular with or without the meteors. We are on Lookout Mountain in AL and saw the satellite too. It was worth getting up to see!

[Skooz]

I went to bed at 12:30 am CT and JUST HAPPENED to wake up at 3:58. Prime viewing here was 4:00 - 4:30 am. I pulled up a lawn chair and watched the show. Outstanding. More than I could count. Fabulous.

[Eagle9]

You can track spacecraft and satellites at the NASA site I have linked here. To find satellites in the sky in your location, scroll down to Predictions for Viewing Satellites and enter your zip code. Checkout the Home , in upper left corner of this page to see what all is available.

Spacecraft and Satellite Tracking

[montomike]

I watched from Southern California. Had to drive east a bit to get off the beach. I saw about 100 "keepers" from 1:30 AM to about 2:30 AM. I'm glad I did. Lots of city light but I had my fill.