OT: Light Show
Yesterdays Wafflez
followed by ELP dvd at Cal Jam.
MSN NEWS: (edit)
One of the best annual meteor showers will peak in the pre-dawn hours
Tuesday, and for some skywatchers the show could be quite impressive.
Leonid meteor shower, weather permitting. The trick for all observers is
to head outside in the wee hours of the morning â€" between 1 a.m.
and dawn â€" regardless of where you live.
The Leonids put on a solid show every year, if skies are clear and
moonlight does not interfere. This year the moon is near its new phase,
and thus it won't be a factor that detracts from the show.
The Leonids are created by Comet Swift-Tuttle, which passes through the
inner solar system every 33 years on its orbit around the sun. Each time
by, it leaves a new river of debris, consisting mostly of bits of ice
and rock no bigger than a sand grain, but including a few the size of a
pea or marble.
When Earth plows into the debris, the bits hit the atmosphere and
vaporize, creating sometimes dramatic streaks of light and the
occasional fireball with a smoky-looking trail that can remain visible
for several minutes.
The Leonid stream is moving in the opposite direction of Earth,
producing impact speeds of 160,000 mph (72 kilometers per second)
â€" higher than many other meteors.
Give your eyes 15 minutes to adjust to the darkness. Then give the show
at least a half-hour. The hourly rates stated above typically come in
bursts, with lulls that may test your patience.