leonids-meteor-image-fireball
A Leonids Fireball plummets toward the Mediterranean Sea in a brilliant photo taken by Tunc Tezel over the shoreline of southeast Antayla, Turkey. One of the finest meteor storms ever witnessed was nearly 175 years ago over the United States. For the duration of almost four hours ahead of daylight on November 13, 1833, the skies were overflowing with thousands of meteors each minute. The lower picture is an artist’s portrayal of the events over Niagra Falls. The comet Tempel-Tuttle causes this annual grand display of meteors and fireballs. The Tempel-Tuttle Comet’s elliptical orbit of our Solar System is approximately 33 years long.
Artist Rendition of the Meteor Storm Over Niagra Falls in 1833
The Leonids Meteor Shower is the end result of dust that may be from the lane traveled by the comet fifty or hundreds of years ago when the Earth passes directly through the path of the comet’s dust each year in November. The Leonids Meteor Showers are accountable for the contemporary analysis of Meteor Storms. Meteor Storms are defined as huge eruptions of meteors over an extended period of time, where meteor shower outbursts are only few a few minutes during normal monthly meteor activity. Through their reign, Meteor Storms can turn out ten or more meteors per second, literally filling the sky with light. Meteor Showers are exceptionally extraordinary and perhaps one of the most exhilarating events of a lifetime. I welcome your comments and hope you enjoy the upcoming shower. You may witness meteor shower outbursts, but you never know, a meteor storm could be coming to your area!
Keep Your Head Up!
on Nov 3rd, 2008 at 3:43 pm
I am from Grayson County, Independence, Virginia and I must report that I saw a GREAT flash of light- so I looked up and saw a brilliant trail in the sky Saturday, November 1st, at 10:33 PM. Luckily, my husband and two friends witnessed the event as well.
on Nov 4th, 2008 at 1:16 am
Autumn,
It is possible it was a Taurid Fireball. Try remembering where you saw it and track the trail back to a point in the sky. If you see it near the constellation Taurus, then it was a Taurid Meteor! Consider yourself lucky they are kind of rare. If you need help locating Taurus, you can use the Mini Astro Viewer on our page home page. Taurus is located above the constellation Orion.
Please Read This Post: Taurids Meteor Shower
Let me know your thoughts, and Keep Your Head Up!
Thanks for your comment.
-Meteor Mark
on Nov 4th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
We were at Cherry Springs, PA last Saturday night and saw a the largest fireball that I had ever seen. It was between 7pm and 8pm DST on November 1, 2008. Did anyone else see it? It was just smaller than half the width of my pinkie at arms length.
on Nov 10th, 2008 at 7:51 am
I live in Scott, Arkansas and last night we saw a huge explosion of green and blue and red colors in the sky. I stopped the car on the road and then I saw a large white light zoom across the sky, not like it was falling down but a straight line. I have never seen anything so fast. Then after I came home and parked the car in the yard I looked up and saw a huge green and bluish light disappear over the tree line. I do not know anything about meteor showers but I was researching and found your site. Please let me know if you know what these lights were, it was about 8:30pm on November 9th. Thank you for your time.
on Nov 10th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Nicole,
Other than you seeing two electrical transformers exploding in your area coincidentally in the same night, I would like to say that you may have seen a Taurids or Leonids Fireball.
The greenish/blue may strongly suggest that it is however from the Leonids Meteor Shower and the speed you described it as “very fast” also suggests that too.
The Taurids Fireballs usually streak relatively slower and most viewers have reported glowing orange like the color of a pumpkin.
If you can remember what constellation you may have seen it near, this will also help to find out what you saw. Lastly, Meteors and Fireballs do’t always streak down in the sky, their path can be just about any angle.
Thanks for your comment! I hope this helps you so far.
- Meteor Mark
on Nov 11th, 2008 at 4:27 am
hi my name is jessica and i am currently in florida (im from cape cod mass) im visiting my mom and i came here on the 3rd the night before i left(nov 2nd in mass) i saw a shooting star then withing 3 days following that i saw 5 meteors and 1 of which was a fire ball i have been keeping track and me and my mother have seen so far 7 shooting stars and 2 fireballs (with out even trying) her fireball was a white big one mine was orangeish and sparkling and it was around orion so it must be these i came across this site while trying to research the meteors i have been seeing and thought i would share now that i know what they are just a question me and my mother have is there a big object that will be hitting us since there is so much debris????
on Nov 11th, 2008 at 5:40 am
Hi Jessica,
Would you believe me if I told you that most of the “shooting stars” you’ve seen can be about half the size of a dime (some are as large as a grain of sand) and the fireballs that you saw could be the size of a golf ball?
The reason they cause amazing flashes that are viewable is because of their super speed (over 40,000 mph).
Every day thousands of dust particles hit our atmosphere and cause meteors that may or may not be seen by the naked eye.
The fireball that you saw near Orion may have been a Taurids Fireball. If you can remember to trace its path back to the constellation Taurus then it was.
Meteors can be seen anywhere in the sky and as far as other scientists and I know, there are no really huge Earth threatening objects due to hit Earth this month or next year. Some speculate that in the year 2012 a big one will come close, so I may make a few posts about that just to talk about it, but most of the objects that you see disintegrate 60 miles up in the atmosphere and don’t actually hit Earth. Though occasionally they do and become meteorites.
You may want to view the Meteor Glossary on this site for more information and “Car Sized Meteor Falls Toward Earth.”
The debris you speak of is usually associated with the path and orbits of comets. When the Earth passes through the orbits of comets whether they are close to Earth or not, there is a path or trail of dust and rocks. This creates the annual meteor showers that are happening now and each month. The Taurids Meteor Shower peaked November 5th and is known for fireballs, the Leonids Metoer shower which peaks on November 17th has been know to produce thousands of bright meteors. Both the Taurids and Leonids are occuring now and are associated with the comet Encke and the Temple-Tuttle comet respectively.
Don’t worry, just enjoy them they’re beautiful, free and exciting!
Keep your head up!
- Meteor Mark
on Nov 11th, 2008 at 7:12 am
Nov. 10th, 2008. 11:30 pm EST.
I live in Toronto On. Bright white ball of light falling straight down, super fast, lasting only a second or two. It appeared to be to the west and south of the city, Somewhere over the great lakes maybe?
on Nov 14th, 2008 at 9:22 am
Hello Meteor Mark,
It is me, Sabrina from FL. The boys and I have been planning on watching the peak on 11/17. But not sure if it will be in the AM, before dawn or in the PM, Monday night? As always, thanks for the great info and we are keeping our head up
on Nov 14th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Hello Meteor Mom and Fireball Boys,
It will be in the AM on November 17th, so anytime after 12:01 AM to Dawn. You may be able to catch a sneak preview on Sunday Night, but the peak is November 17th and then maybe an encore performance on November 18th in the morning too. The Leonids are active until November 25th this year.
The Leonids could be a masterpiece this year, or a complete dud because of the Moon being 74% illuminated and very close to the Constellation Leo which is in the East, sadly.
Let’s hope this year is a happening in the sky! You know what I am going to say… “Keep Your Head Up!”
- Meteor Mark
P.S. This is a little East Coast Map, hope it helps…and as an added surprise, The Planet Saturn is in view under Leo!
on Nov 17th, 2008 at 1:28 am
Fantastic view of a leonid fireball from the control tower of Birmingham Airport (UK) at 03:30 today 17th November
on Nov 17th, 2008 at 1:42 am
Marcus,
Thank you! Fantastic.
Meteor Mark