NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection

A Leonid Fireball From 1966

This bright fireball meteor [ http://www.qsl.net/…] was photographed from Table Mountain Observatory [ http://www.qsl.net/…] during the peak of the annual Leonid meteor shower [ http://science.msfc…] on November 17, 1966. That was [ http://www-space.ar…] a good year for Leonid meteor watchers [ http://www-space.ar…] - a meteor "storm" was produced as the Earth swept through a dense swarm of dusty debris from the tail of comet Tempel-Tuttle [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. Observer Jim Young reported a peak rate for the 1966 shower of about 50 meteors "per second" and recorded 22 otherwise extremely rare, bright fireballs [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] like this one in the span of 90 minutes from his California mountain top location. Predictions are uncertain [ http://see.msfc.nas…], but this year might also produce an intense apparition of the Leonids shower [ http://www.skypub.c…] which should again peak on the 17th. You may need to be well placed [ http://ssd.jpl.nasa…] and a little lucky [ http://www.skypub.c…] to see the shower at its maximum, but Leonid meteors [ http://www.skypub.c…] should be easy to see in dark skies - particularly in early morning hours - for two or so days before and after the peak. How do you watch a meteor shower [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]? Get a comfortable lawn chair and a warm jacket ... go outside and look up!

J. W. Young [ mailto:jwy@snowline. net ] ( TMO [ http://www.qsl.net/…], JPL [ http://www.jpl.nasa…], NASA [ http://www.nasa.gov/]) Used With Permission

fireball

meteor

Leonid

November 17, 1966

California

Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)

Earth

1966

http://antwrp.gsfc.…

SPD-APOD-ap981113