Starship Asterisk*

DonB312 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 9:05 pm I find this APOD to be especially beautiful. I like the balance and hues of the colors. I like the beautiful couple that are enjoying the meteor shower and I wish them much happiness in their marriage. I also appreciate the annotations.

Way back in the late 1990's or maybe it was early 2000's I dragged myself out of bed and went out at about 4:00am to see a meteor shower (I think it was the Leonid meteor shower but it has been so long ago that I don't remember for sure). When I got outside I was disappointed that it was cloudy. But having pried myself out of bed I went ahead and waited a bit. I almost gave up but then I noticed the clouds dispersing until most of the sky was clear. At first there was only one meteor every few minutes But the frequency increased until I was seeing one or two meteors every minute. Finally, the frequency diminished and the cloud cover returned. It was wonderful. I counted over 100 meteors per hour.

orin stepanek wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 2:06 pm Kitty cats hugging!

Hi Orin,

I share your love of cute critters so I appreciate your posts that include such pictures, . Each day when I go to APOD I try to guess which link will be to a picture of kittens or puppies. It's always a bit disappointing when no such link exists . I found today's kittens to be especially adorable.

Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 9:26 pm Yes, the Leonids stormed in 1999, with rates as high as several thousand an hour. This shower is caused by debris from Comet Tempel-Tuttle, which has a 33-year period. Near perihelion it releases a lot of debris, so we tend to see high activity every 33 years, coinciding with this. Activity is likely to be high again in 2033, although the conditions are not ideal for another storm (over 1000 per hour). But we may see several hundred per hour.

Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 9:46 pm

johnnydeep wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 9:39 pm

Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 9:26 pm

Yes, the Leonids stormed in 1999, with rates as high as several thousand an hour. This shower is caused by debris from Comet Tempel-Tuttle, which has a 33-year period. Near perihelion it releases a lot of debris, so we tend to see high activity every 33 years, coinciding with this. Activity is likely to be high again in 2033, although the conditions are not ideal for another storm (over 1000 per hour). But we may see several hundred per hour.

Why won't conditions be similar in 33 years? And how do we know that now?

Just where in the debris stream the Earth crosses, and where both the comet and Earth are in their orbits can make for stronger or weaker showers. We can calculate all of these things quite accurately.

johnnydeep wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 9:39 pm

Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 9:26 pm

DonB312 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 9:05 pm I find this APOD to be especially beautiful. I like the balance and hues of the colors. I like the beautiful couple that are enjoying the meteor shower and I wish them much happiness in their marriage. I also appreciate the annotations.

Way back in the late 1990's or maybe it was early 2000's I dragged myself out of bed and went out at about 4:00am to see a meteor shower (I think it was the Leonid meteor shower but it has been so long ago that I don't remember for sure). When I got outside I was disappointed that it was cloudy. But having pried myself out of bed I went ahead and waited a bit. I almost gave up but then I noticed the clouds dispersing until most of the sky was clear. At first there was only one meteor every few minutes But the frequency increased until I was seeing one or two meteors every minute. Finally, the frequency diminished and the cloud cover returned. It was wonderful. I counted over 100 meteors per hour.

Yes, the Leonids stormed in 1999, with rates as high as several thousand an hour. This shower is caused by debris from Comet Tempel-Tuttle, which has a 33-year period. Near perihelion it releases a lot of debris, so we tend to see high activity every 33 years, coinciding with this. Activity is likely to be high again in 2033, although the conditions are not ideal for another storm (over 1000 per hour). But we may see several hundred per hour.

Why won't conditions be similar in 33 years? And how do we know that now?

Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 9:26 pm

DonB312 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 9:05 pm I find this APOD to be especially beautiful. I like the balance and hues of the colors. I like the beautiful couple that are enjoying the meteor shower and I wish them much happiness in their marriage. I also appreciate the annotations.

Way back in the late 1990's or maybe it was early 2000's I dragged myself out of bed and went out at about 4:00am to see a meteor shower (I think it was the Leonid meteor shower but it has been so long ago that I don't remember for sure). When I got outside I was disappointed that it was cloudy. But having pried myself out of bed I went ahead and waited a bit. I almost gave up but then I noticed the clouds dispersing until most of the sky was clear. At first there was only one meteor every few minutes But the frequency increased until I was seeing one or two meteors every minute. Finally, the frequency diminished and the cloud cover returned. It was wonderful. I counted over 100 meteors per hour.

Yes, the Leonids stormed in 1999, with rates as high as several thousand an hour. This shower is caused by debris from Comet Tempel-Tuttle, which has a 33-year period. Near perihelion it releases a lot of debris, so we tend to see high activity every 33 years, coinciding with this. Activity is likely to be high again in 2033, although the conditions are not ideal for another storm (over 1000 per hour). But we may see several hundred per hour.

DonB312 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 9:05 pm I find this APOD to be especially beautiful. I like the balance and hues of the colors. I like the beautiful couple that are enjoying the meteor shower and I wish them much happiness in their marriage. I also appreciate the annotations.

Way back in the late 1990's or maybe it was early 2000's I dragged myself out of bed and went out at about 4:00am to see a meteor shower (I think it was the Leonid meteor shower but it has been so long ago that I don't remember for sure). When I got outside I was disappointed that it was cloudy. But having pried myself out of bed I went ahead and waited a bit. I almost gave up but then I noticed the clouds dispersing until most of the sky was clear. At first there was only one meteor every few minutes But the frequency increased until I was seeing one or two meteors every minute. Finally, the frequency diminished and the cloud cover returned. It was wonderful. I counted over 100 meteors per hour.

orin stepanek wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 2:06 pm Kitty cats hugging!

De58te wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 3:11 pm Impressive. But why don't I have any luck when I go to view a meteor show. For years now when I go out during the peaks, I'll be lucky if I spot one in 10 minutes of watching! And I live out on a farm in the country so the skies are relatively dark. The last time I seen 3 flash at the same time was I recall in the same year that comet Hale-Bopp was in the sky. I'm just a jinx with watching shooting stars.