Starship Asterisk*

Kitt Peak appears to be seeing some meteors from the Leonids meteor shower this morning. Check just under the words "Canis" and "Minor". Two meteor streaks are roughly pointing toward Leo (as they should for Leonids meteors):

- RJN

Here is a long one right through the Big Dipper and just to the left of the words "Ursa Major":

- RJN

Here's a Leonid from Haleakala. It is the bright spot above the word "Berenice". Note that it points toward Leo, as expected. The curvey patterns in the center are stars distorted by some water that has settled into the center of the lens (and is evaporting way too slowly!). The brightness to the East is the rising Sun, and the bright bulge in this bright spot is zodiacal light.

- RJN

At 7:00 around the sky, most of the way to the edge:

- RJN

Just below the bottom of the Big Dipper's cup. Points right at Leo:

- RJN

From the South Africa CONCAM3. The long Leonid is just under the red Saturn label. It does point back to Leo, rising on the North Eastern horizon. Note that the center of this CONCAM lens contains moisture that distorts stars in the center of the fame.


- RJN

Again from the South African CONCAM3. The Leonid can be seen below the constellation label of Hydra. This "meteor" could possibly be just a star moving behind a glob of moisture in the center of the lens, like the distorted stellar images near the Lepus label. But the flash comes and goes in a single frame and appears somewhat removed from similar distortions.


- RJN

One from the Siding Spring, Australia CONCAM. This possible Leonid is just under the constellation label Orion. This appeared just as the clouds parted. As I am not sure it points back to Leo and haven't yet seen the FITS image, so this steak might be a satellite or something different.


- RJN

Note that all the CONCAM Leonids posted above are from the "classical" peak. The extra peak predicted for the 13th did not materialize.
Noah Brosch