This year may produce another enhanced return of the Leonid meteor shower, with ZHR hourly rates expected to exceed 150+ according to independent studies by Jérémie Vaubaillon, Mikhail Maslov, David Asher, Esko Lyytinen and their respective collaborators. The main outburst(s) are expected to occur in the hours around 22h00 UT on November 17 (= 17h00 US Eastern, 23h00 Central Europe, 3h30 India, 6h00 Beijing), although variable activity may happen at almost any stage between November 16 and 18. Continuous monitoring is necessary. Leonids are visible after local midnight from any longitude, with best conditions occuring towards morning twilight. A new Moon on November 16 ensures perfect dark skies! Consult the shower calendar for more background.
Scientists depend strongly on visual observations by volunteers to test the theoretical models and improve future predictions. For more information on contributing your own observations, please consult the observing instructions and the instructions for filing a report. The IMO offers an electronic report form to submit your observations, and will automatically include them in the ZHR activity graph shown on the right.
Important note for visual observers: to allow for detailed analysis, please report the Leonid activity in short intervals. Try to avoid more than 5 to 10 Leonids per interval, and in any case avoid intervals longer than 10-15 minutes throughout November 17. Even when the activity appears poor due to low radiant elevation or bad weather, you may unknowingly be observing an outburst which requires high-resolution data. Note that you can customize the number of rows in the report form (click the link) or simply submit multiple forms.
Contact for observers in China with translation problems: 亚洲的观测者: 如果你有任何的问题,请联系 gba@arm.ac.uk。邮 件可以使用中文。
Submitted by Geert Barentsen on Fri, 2009-11-13 13:25. More | |
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