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Your favorite Meteor shower

DommyDevil18

By DommyDevil18
in The Astro Lounge

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ian_bird

ian_bird

Posted
Posted

I was lucky enough to see the 1998 Leonids from a dark sky site in the South of France.

Drove up into the hills behind Nice just before dusk. Saw several fireballs/meteors whilst driving up there and it was still light enough to see the road without headlights.

Spent the night at an amateur astronomy pitch surrounded by low bush. The green fireballs were exploding overhead and casting shadows beneath the bushes. They were leaving green smoke trails in the upper atmosphere - which you could see twisting and deforming.

Some of the exploding fireballs you could see the core shoot off ahead of the explosions.

Rates of fireballs were every couple of minutes. Meteors pretty much non stop.

Nice Observatory recorded the highest rate in the world.

I could still see fireballs/meteors as I drove back down to the coast at dawn. Again - it was light enough to see the road.

Utterly incredible sight! Once in a lifetime job!My wife was with me. Not much of an astro buff - but she loved it. First and last meteor shower she has ever watched. And boy - did she get a doozy!

Since then - I kind of can't get enthusiastic to watch another shower - it would never be a fraction as good as that night.

Cheers

Ian

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Laurie61

Laurie61

Posted
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I usually try and see the Draconids, early October can still provide warm-ish evenings and they have been known to produce meteor storms. Unfortunately in years where the sky's have cooperated here hourly rates have been nothing special. I think the shower that has been the most productive for me has been the Geminids.       

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nameunknown

nameunknown

Posted
Posted

.. those green flashes in the sky the other night, just before I went to bed... NOW WHY ARE THE TRIFFIDS INVADING MY GARDEN.....:)

I'd love to see one of those meteor "hailstorms". but having invested a lot of time in an obsy, a dino-killer would not be good....

P

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Paul M

Paul M

Posted
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No, you're all wrong! It's the Gemenids in December :)

Never had much success with the Perseids.

The Leonids are quite sparse other than on their 33 year peaks.

Providing there's no moonlight, the Gemenids deliver a reliable shower in dark skies with a radiant that rises high in the hours before midnight.

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DommyDevil18

DommyDevil18

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Dont get me wrong I enjoy watching them all but the Leonids for me always stuck out because of how close it is to Christmas. Yes I know the Geminids are closer considering they are in December but the November lot are always the ones that stick out for me because I saw them in 2006 (albeit the 4th time first ones I saw were in November 2003) and a week before that I saw that November 2006 Transit of Mercury via sattelite imaging on my old schools computer.

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