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Have you ever seen a real 'shower'?

kerrylewis

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kerrylewis

kerrylewis

Posted
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Reading a magazine article made me wonder: has anyone ever seen a real SHOWER of meteors? I don't mean one or two every now and again, which is the best that I've ever seen, but something more dramatic with many per minute and that could really be described as a 'shower'?

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Mike73

Mike73

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Yes once, maybe 20 years ago.

I had finished a night shift and was riding my bike home about 5am, I was actually pushing my bike up a really steep hill and at first saw a couple meteors whizz past. When I got to the top of the hill I looked to the West and the the sky seemed to flow with meteors. I'd say there was one every couple of seconds and it lasted probably 15 minutes in total, not really bright meteors but I was in the middle of nowhere in mag 6.2 skies.

It was one of those 'moments' in life for me, you know the things that really stick out in your mind as an amazing point in your life. 

This was way before I had any interest in astronomy but it may be the reason why I'm on this forum right now! :)

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Pete Presland

Pete Presland

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i do seem to remember a Perseid Shower in the early 90's that was pretty spectacular when i was working night shifts. i can recall for a short period of time during lunch :rolleyes:  watching what seemed like at t least a meteor every minute. i thought last years Geminids was pretty good as well, during the early morning hours.

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HumptyMoo

HumptyMoo

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I would really love to witness one at a dark site, to date though I have just seen the odd few in succession. I saw one a few months back (may have been space junk rather than a meteor) that was fireball style that split into two paths before burning out, that stuck in my mind. Thinking about it, it did move much slower so was probably re-entry...spectacular none the less.

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Toymaster

Toymaster

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i do seem to remember a Perseid Shower in the early 90's that was pretty spectacular when i was working night shifts. i can recall for a short period of time during lunch :rolleyes:  watching what seemed like at t least a meteor every minute. i thought last years Geminids was pretty good as well, during the early morning hours.

I remember a Perseid shower about that time. I took a sun lounger out into the garden and looked up in amazement for ages before I nodded off to sleep  :smiley:  :smiley:  

Adrian

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LukeSkywatcher

LukeSkywatcher

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About 20yrs ago i was on holiday in/on Gran Canaria. Long story short......................

In the space of about 10 mins i must have seen about 30 meteors, which can only be described as "fireballs". They were quite slow moving (IIRC) and they were sparkling like you would image them to be as they broke up on entering the atmosphere. I'm pretty sure it was around the first/second week in August..............which would tie in nicely as being Pereids. I could have sat on the promenade all night watching them, but i was only 22-23yrs old and on a foreign holiday with mates for the first time ever and had more important things to do........I may be a couple of yrs out on the date. It was definitely somewhere between 1996-2000.

Absolutely stunning to see them. The best ive ever seen.

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ronin

ronin

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Keep an eye out for 24th May.

Seems we pass through the tail of a comet that was around a couple of years back.

So it is not listed as a recognised one, at least at present.

Seems it may be good, but they said that about ISON, and I have no idea which bit of the sky would be the radiant.

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entropia

entropia

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I have seen one in the early 2000's. I wasn't interested in astronomy but I heard about this meteor shower so we went to the Potomac river. It was  very cold that night, so I guess it was the Leonids. There were some little girls next to us and every time we saw a meteor they would sing. They sang very frequently so I guess it was a good shower :). 

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entropia

entropia

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Yes, the 2003 Leonids.  Sitting in a lounge chair in front of my Tipi around 2 am.  There were times when it seemed like there was always a meteor in the sky, sometimes as many as a half a dozen at a time.

we may have seen the same... shower :)

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  • 5 months later...
Ptarmigan

Ptarmigan

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When I saw the Topic title I said "Yes, the Leonid spectacular in 200Ummm ! "

So that must have been 2003 ? according to other posters here ?

it was actually the night(morning) before the 'big prediction', the 4cast was not good for Jenkissens (sp?) prediction night but I went out anyway just in case and as StarSapling has said several in flight at the same time, a real sense of 'driving in a rain shower', the radient was obvious.

Lots of very bright fireballs, several cases of unseen fireballs (corner of eye and behind) lighting the low hills in front.

All from my back garden, it doesnt get better than that :)

It was a brief peak limited to western Europe and The Canaries.

* I've always watched the Leonids in the hope of catching a shower, ever since I missed the big one in ummm, 1966? or thereabouts :(

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