Leonids Nov 19th, be at DSC

[Whitters]

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/14nov_leonids.htm?list193774

[Whitters]

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BAA electronic bulletin No. 00254            http://www.britastro.org/
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Having commanded - literally! - the lion's share of attention in the past
eleven years or so, the Leonids are now be declining from the high -
sometimes exceptionally so - activity which followed the parent comet
55P/Tempel-Tuttle's early 1998 perihelion passage. No further storm activity
is anticipated in the current round, and the Leonid 'background' will
probably revert to its normal peak ZHR of about 15 in the next few years.
This, it should be stressed, is still a respectable showing by any
standards, and serious meteor  observers, in for the long haul and not just
the 'glory' nights, will continue to cover the shower in the years ahead.

Active between 15 and 20 November each year, the Leonids produce respectable
activity even in those years when no storm activity is expected. In 2006,
the regular maximum should occur around Nov 17d 23h UT, meaning that the
Friday night to Saturday morning of November 17-18 should prove productive
night for observers.

  Added interest is given to the shower in 2006 by the forecast by McNaught
and Asher that we may enjoy one last outburst of enhanced activity - to
perhaps double 'normal' Perseid levels - around Nov 19d 04h 45m UT. This
makes the Saturday-Sunday of Nov 18-19 a potentially very interesting night
for meteor observers, and all are encouraged to be on watch in the
post-midnight hours (the radiant doesn't rise until after 22h local time) on
this night. While there is no guarantee of high activity, observations
positive or negative will be very important in testing the - so far -
successful model of the Leonid meteor stream as a collection of separate
'filaments'.

The radiant lies at RA 10h 08m Dec  +22o, in Leo's 'Sickle', and therefore
doesn't rise until late in the evening; watches in the  early morning hours
will be most productive under most circumstances.

Local Time (53oN)   Radiant Altitude     Local Time    Radiant Altitude

23h         14.8o             03h       41.7o
00h         15.0o             04h      49.6o
01h         23.9o        05h      55.8o
02h         32.9o        06h       58.9o

With New Moon promising dark skies, at least, and the radiant high in the
eastern sky at the time of the possible outburst peak, the Leonids in 2006
could hardly be better placed. Even if no exceptional activity is seen, the
shower's usual performance sees a healthy smattering of fast (entry velocity
70 km/s) meteors, including several bright events with lingering persistent
ionisation trains.

Observations will be welcomed by the Meteor Section Director at the address
below. Observing instructions can be found on the website at
http://www.britastro.org/meteor

Neil Bone,