A 2001 Leonids Meteor Shower Fireball
Explanation:
The
2001 Leonids Meteor Shower gave quite a
show to many parts of the world yesterday
during the early morning hours.
Many sleepy
observers venturing into their own
backyards were treated to several bright meteors
per minute streaking across the sky.
This rate made the
2001 Leonids the most active meteor shower in over
three decades.
Pictured above is a bright
Leonid fireball that briefly lit up
Hawaii yesterday morning.
A
CONCAM nighttime
all-sky monitor on
Mauna Kea,
a dormant
volcano, caught the bright meteor,
seen as the very bright streak across the lower part of the
fisheye image.
The meteor track crossed the
Galactic plane
(the faint glow that runs from the lower left to upper right),
passed below the planet
Jupiter, and through the
constellation Orion.
CONCAMs in
Hawaii,
Arizona, and
California
all recorded numerous
bright meteors during
this year's Leonids.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.