Rich in bright and awesome [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] fireballs [ http://science.nasa…], the Leonid Meteor Shower [ http://www.skypub.c…] came early this year. In fact, judging from meteor watcher reports [ http://www.skypub.c…] the peak came nearly 15 hours earlier than the best predictions [ http://ssd.jpl.nasa…]. Observers on the Canary Islands [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] were probably close to an ideal viewing location and recorded a maximum of effectively about 200 to 250 meteors per hour near dawn on November 17 - way below the peak rate during the 1966 Leonid meteor storm display [ http://www-space.ar…]. Still, those blessed with clear skies in dark, early morning hours all over planet Earth were treated to a first rate cosmic light show [ http://www.leonidsl…]. Roving astrophotographer Olivier Staiger took this stunning image [ http://eclipse.span…] of two bright Leonids in the skies over Chiang Mai, Thailand [ http://thaiastro.ne…].
Explanation
Rich in bright and awesome [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] fireballs [ http://science.nasa…], the Leonid Meteor Shower [ http://www.skypub.c…] came early this year. In fact, judging from meteor watcher reports [ http://www.skypub.c…] the peak came nearly 15 hours earlier than the best predictions [ http://ssd.jpl.nasa…]. Observers on the Canary Islands [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] were probably close to an ideal viewing location and recorded a maximum of effectively about 200 to 250 meteors per hour near dawn on November 17 - way below the peak rate during the 1966 Leonid meteor storm display [ http://www-space.ar…]. Still, those blessed with clear skies in dark, early morning hours all over planet Earth were treated to a first rate cosmic light show [ http://www.leonidsl…]. Roving astrophotographer Olivier Staiger took this stunning image [ http://eclipse.span…] of two bright Leonids in the skies over Chiang Mai, Thailand [ http://thaiastro.ne…].
