| Subject: Weekend aurora (northern lights) & meteor shower tonight! |
Author:
Betty
|
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: 12:32:34 11/08/04 Mon
In reply to:
Betty
's message, "Hubbble telescope to die & be destoyed" on 12:26:05 02/15/04 Sun
Weekend auroras and early Leonids
AURORA WATCH: A series of explosions from sunspot 696 on Nov. 3rd through 5th hurled some coronal mass ejections toward Earth, and they're due to arrive this weekend. Sky watchers in, e.g., Canada, Alaska, and northern-tier US states should be alert for auroras.
EARLY LEONIDS? The annual Leonid meteor shower normally peaks around the 19th of November. This year, however, there might be an extra, early peak on Nov. 8th when Earth passes close to a 1000-year-old stream of dust from Comet Tempel-Tuttle. The precise location of this old stream is uncertain.
Forecasters estimate, tentatively, a meteor rate of 50 to 100 per hour--much less than the great Leonid displays of recent years, but still pleasing. Sky watchers in parts of Europe, Africa and Asia are best-positioned to see the Nov. 8th display--if it happens!
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
| |
