Astronomy Picture of the Day
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Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is
featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2014 November 16
Leonids Above Torre de la Guaita
Image Credit &
Copyright:
Juan Carlos Casado
(TWAN)
Explanation:
Leonids Meteor Shower came to an impressive crescendo in 1999.
Observers in Europe saw a
sharp peak in the number of
meteors visible around 0210
UTC
during the early morning hours of November 18.
Meteor counts then exceeded 1000 per hour - the minimum needed to define a
true meteor storm.
At other times and from other locations around the world, observers
typically reported
respectable rates of between 30 and 100
meteors per hour.
This photograph is a 20-minute exposure ending just
before the main
Leonids peak began.
Visible are at least five
Leonid
meteors
streaking high above the Torre de la Guaita,
an observation tower used during the 12th century in
Girona,
Spain.
In 2014, over the next few nights, the
Leonids
meteor shower will again peak.
This year, although the crescent Moon should not create much competing skyglow, the Earth
is predicted to pass through
a more moderate stream of debris left over from
Comet Tempel-Tuttle than in 1999, perhaps resulting in as many as 15 visible meteors per hour from dark locations.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
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Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(
MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell (
UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman
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