Posted by babka at 170.215.212.138 on November 15, 2002 at 18:36:43:
The Leonids Showers: Last time until 2098 in this density
Find a clear, dark place with a view of as much of the sky as possible.
Don't stare at any one place but keep your eyes moving all over the sky.
Begin your watch by 11 p.m. and carry on until the first light of dawn. The
meteors will be radiating from the Sickle of Leo (the above chart is good
for 12 to 2 a.m.) which will be rising out of the east-northeast sky. Keep
alert for any brilliant fireballs or bolides (exploding meteors). Optical
aid is not necessary for observing the Leonid shower, but a pair of
binoculars sometimes comes in handy. Some Leonid trains remain visible for
several minutes or more. If you follow a train in binoculars, time how long
it remains visible and note any changes you see in its shape.
Once again . . . no one can say for sure how these ultrafast meteors will
perform though there seems to be a good chance that should the weather
cooperate on the night of November 18-19, most Western Hemisphere observers
quite possibly may see more meteors than on any previous occasion in their
lives.
(is there any connection between this and the major ice-cream binge I have
been on since returning to earth following J.G.?)