Hang tonight and watch the meteor showers

[Stumblefoot]

If you have nothing else to do or don't need to sleep, hang your hammock so you can see the Leonid meteor showers.

Lie on your back as early as 1 am on Tuesday to witness the peak of the week-long Leonid meteor shower that has been around in the sky since Saturday.

The once-in-a-year spectacular shower will have 20-60 meteors seemingly falling from the constellation Leo the Lion, according to the experts at the Fiske Planetarium of the University of Colorado. Nevertheless the meteors are not falling from the constellation.

Leonid meteor shower occurs annually on November 17 when the earth passes the clumps that the Comet Tempel-Tuttle leaves on it orbit as a result of its coming close to the sun. When the comet comes close to the sun it sheds materials.

Leonid meteors-mostly having a visible diameter between 1 mm and 1 cm - travel at a speed of 71 km per second to reach the earth’s atmosphere. Leonid meteor shower during 199-2000 was a storm of meteors and had a whopping 1000 meteors per hour.

The best way to enjoy the shower of shooting stars, another name used for meteors, is to recline on your back away from the city lights and watch the sky. The phenomenon will continue for next two days.

[NCPatrick]

I live under the streetlights. I'd have to go somewhere far from home to get the full view.

Thanks for the info!

[jaygnar]

Thanks for the heads-up! Maybe I can sneak off tonight and watch some meteors. Haven't done any stargazing in awhile.

[jofish]

Thanks for the reminder. I remember the 1999-2000 showers. In '99 I went with my parents and sister out to a farm in the middle of nowhere. We laid down blankets and watched the most spectacular occurrence that the atmosphere has ever treated me with. It was amazing. Every couple seconds there was another one! And some with color too. I'll never forget it.

I've also seen some pretty amazing sunsets, a thunder and lightning snowstorm, and of course sun showers. Still on my to-do list; aurora borealis.

Too bad its cloudy here today and will be for the next few days

[slowhike]

I was fortuneant enough to be camping on top of Shortoff Mt, Linville Gorge during the peak in 2001!!!
Wasn't really expecting much, but boy was I wrong!!! That was one amazing show!!! Like seeing one shooting star after another, no more than 5-7 seconds apart at the most, & sometimes 3 or 4 at a time, shooting in all different directions!!!

[oldgringo]

Every year, on the 12th of August, I camp or fish, and watch the Perseids...this was my first year in a hammock.

If these clouds clear out, I'll be out there tonight!

[KerMegan]

Actually the best thing might be to hang from a couple of steel posts in a dark area- hanging from trees will have branches obscureing much of the field of view.. just a thought. KM

[soundmanob]

One of the first reasons I heard to have a hammock was to watch the stars...
Saw one streak across the sky the other night and wondered when the next shower would come...

Was driving to work one AM and a metor streaked in front of me landing in a woods 1/2 mile ahead of me. Turned a different color before hitting the ground. Really impressive!!!

Thanks for the "Heads up" and the background info

"Thousands of star lights twinkle before a black sea,
As I drift off to dreams that my hammock takes me."
-From Beneath the Trees, By Everett Dort, aka, soundmanob

[soundmanob]

You're right about the trees obstructing the view but with the leaves gone not too bad in the transition zones.
Got my Claytor hanging from 4x6 posts in the back yard but rather have some place out in the country...

Just checked the forcast, rain in Central OH tonight and tomorrow, maybe Weds, Thur or Fri will be good!!!

[NCPatrick]

Was driving to work one AM and a metor streaked in front of me landing in a woods 1/2 mile ahead of me. Turned a different color before hitting the ground. Really impressive!!!

... and then the aliens crawled out and started blasting the whole town with death rays...