Credit & Copyright: Doug Murray
Explanation:
The Leonid Meteor Shower this year could be
described as good but not great.
During November 17 and 18 the Earth crossed
through several streams of
sand-sized grit
left orbiting the Sun by
Comet Tempel-Tuttle.
Several distinct peaks in
meteor activity were reported,
with rates approaching 400 meteors per hour
for brief periods for some dark locations.
Pictured above, a
Leonid meteor was caught from
Florida
streaking through the
constellation of Orion
on the morning of 2000 November 18.
Visible as a red-tinged smudge to the left of the
three nearly linear stars that compose
Orion's belt is the picturesque star-forming region known as the
Orion Nebula.
Next year, the
Leonids Meteor Shower is expected
by many to be much more active.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Leonids - Orion - meteor
Publications with words: Leonids - Orion - meteor
See also: