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Credit & Copyright: Frank Sapp
Explanation:
Beautiful and bright, the 2002 Leonid meteors battled against
glaring moonlight.
This winning example, from Tuesday morning skies above
Laughlin, Nevada, USA, finds an undaunted
Leonid streaking between
the familiar constellation
of Orion (left) and an
overexposed full Moon.
As anticipated,
the Leonid shower
packed a double punch
on November 19 with planet Earth plunging through
two dense clouds
of meteroids, dusty debris left by the passage of comet
Tempel-Tuttle.
Some European observers reported 10 or so meteors a minute
during the first peak near 4:00 Universal Time while
North American skygazers witnessed slightly lower rates near
the second peak around 10:30 UT.
Overall, observed rates were much lower than last year's
Leonid meteor storm, but for many the
sky was still filled
with a
rewarding spectacle of bright meteors.
And that performance may be a fond farewell for years
to come.
The annual
Leonid meteor shower will
not likely approach even these rates again until the end of
this century.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Leonids - meteors - Moon
Publications with words: Leonids - meteors - Moon
See also: