Early Birds catch the Leonids

Shower peak occurred more than 14 hours ahead of schedule

A Leonid Fireball photographed in Hong Kong on 16 Nov 1998

November 19, 1998: Reports from around the world indicate that the peak of this year's Leonid meteor shower occurred between 14 and 19 hours earlier than experts had predicted. Sky-watchers in Europe and the Middle East were treated to a rain of meteors averaging 250 per hour from 0000 to 1200 Universal Time (UT) November 17. The most intense activity, according to the International Meteor Organization, took place between 0000 and 0330 UT when an average of 490 meteors per hour were seen by experienced meteor watchers.

Right: A Leonid fireball photographed by Schindler Leung in Hong Kong at 1900 UT, 16 November 1998. The Leonids peak, about 6 hrs after this photograph was taken, was preceded by a flurry of activity rich in bright meteors and fireballs, some brighter than -10 magnitudes.

Meteor watchers from six continents have sent hundreds of emails to Science@NASA reporting Leonid meteor counts. At the time this story is being prepared, the morning of November 19th, reports are still pouring in at a rate of over 30 per hour. That's about the rate of fireballs observed during the Leonid peak. Two groups of experienced observers, one in Israel and one in France, were well-positioned to confirm enhanced activity between 0000 and 0500 UT.

Initial Results from the International Meteor Organization

1998 Leonid Meteor Counts

Date   Period (UT)  ZHR +-
--------------------------
Nov 15  1800-0150   12   8
Nov 16  0813-1028   16   6
Nov 16  1915-2319   64  12
Nov 17  0000-0200  460 180
Nov 17  0200-0330  510 220
Nov 17  0300-0420  360 210
Nov 17  0400-0630  255 124
Nov 17  0700-1000  242  37
Nov 17  1000-1200  256  18
Nov 17  1500-1700  100  16
Nov 17  1700-1840   86  18
Nov 17  1800-1940  102  19
Nov 17  1900-2050  130  35
Nov 17  2000-2100  180  48
Nov 17  2145-0040   62  15
Nov 18  0000-0200   47   5
Nov 18  0130-0240   38  14
Nov 18  0220-0500   33  11
Nov 18  0430-0650   36  22
--------------------------

In the table "ZHR" means zenithal hourly rate, and "UT" is Universal Time.

Ofek Eran of the Wise Observatory in Mitzpe-Ramon Israel reported that he and 4 other sky-watchers counted a peak rate of 624 +/- 122 Leonid meteors per hour near 0230 UT. Brett Gladman led another team at the Observatoire de Nice in France. They counted 300 meteors in a 45 minute period, and estimated a minimum zenithal hourly rate of 450 per hour at 0500 UT on November 17th. Sky conditions were excellent at both observatories, with limiting magnitudes near 6.

Reports of 2000 meteors per hour over the Canary Islands were attributed to British astronomers in some news stories yesterday. It appears that fewer meteors were actually observed, and that 2000 per/hr was the sum of rates obtained by several observers. Other sky-watchers on the Canary Islands reported a smaller number, closer to 250 per hour.

Although the 1998 Leonids were fewer in number than the famous 1966 Leonids, the shower was nevertheless spectacular. Many experienced meteor watchers were dazzled by the great numbers of brightly-colored fireballs. "I've never seen anything like it," commented one NASA astronomer, "I can't wait until November '99." That's when meteor forecasters are again predicting large numbers of Leonids.

Web Links

Leonids Live! - images and video from the 1998 Leonid meteor storm

Meteor counts - submit your own meteor counts to NASA!

1998 Leonids Data Bank -- a useful summary of Leonids information from NASA Ames.

The November Leonids: Will they Roar? -- Predictions from JPL

Eyewitness accounts of the 1966 storm -- an Ames Research Center Archive

NASA's Office of Space Science - press releases and other news related to NASA and astrophysics

Related Stories:

Great Expectations: the 1998 Leonids Meteor Shower -- the basics of the Leonid meteors. Includes eyewitness accounts from the great 1966 storm and observing hints for 1998.

Halley's comet returns in bits and pieces -- story posted Oct 20 on the Orionid meteor shower

Giacobinids dazzle observers

Tune-up for the Leonids - story posted Oct 7, discusses the astronomy of the Giacobinids

External Links:

The Leonids -- from Gary Kronk Meteors and Comets web site

International Meteor Organization

Join our growing list of subscribers - sign up for our express news delivery and you will receive a mail message every time we post a new story!!!

More Headlines

return to Space Science News Home

Author: Tony Phillips
Production Editor: Dr. Tony Phillips
Curator: Bryan Walls
Responsible NASA official: John M. Horack