Leonid Meteor Shower Back to Normal and November's Total Lunar Eclipse

During the first two weeks of November, the Earth encounters dusty meteor streams left behind by periodic Comet Encke's passages through the inner solar system. One crosses the Earth's orbit on or about the 5th while the second occurs on or about the 12th. These meteors plunge through our atmosphere at around 27-29 kilometers per second, sometimes producing brilliant fireballs that blaze across the sky.

Unfortunately the Full Moon occurs on the 8th this year, so the number of meteors seen will be severely reduced. Perhaps five or so per hour may be observed on the peak nights if you shield yourself from direct moonlight.

For meteor observing a Full Moon can be quite a detriment to watching "burning rocks" fall from the sky, but November's Full Moon will undergo a total eclipse very similar to that which we experienced back in May. The only difference will be that this one will start soon after sunset and will be finished before midnight, and also totality will be quite short, only 25 minutes.

This total lunar eclipse will begin at 5:15 pm as the Moon slides into the light penumbral shadow of the Earth. Only as the Moon slides deeper into the shadow will a keen-eyed observer see a subtle shading of the lunar surface. Just prior to the Moon entering the Earth's dark umbral shadow at 6:32 pm (partial phase begins) one should notice that the moonlight looks somewhat subdued at the left edge of the lunar disk.

The Moon will be moving eastward in our sky when it encounters the Earth's shadow. Therefore, watch for the shadow to sweep across the lunar surface from left to right.

Totality begins at 8:06 pm and lasts only 25 minutes, ending at 8:31 pm. Last May's totality lasted twice as long. Because the Moon will be just barely within the dark umbral shadow projected into space by the Earth, my prediction is that the Moon will remain visible and quite bright during totality. I believe it will be even brighter than during May's event.

It will be interesting to see if the Moon's surface assumes any unusual colors or hues. I suspect it won't. The light will still be subdued, like being seen through fog or haze.

When totality ends, the outgoing partial phase begins. It's like watching the ingoing partial phase in reverse. The outgoing partial phase will last until 10:04 pm when the Moon will move out of the umbral shadow. The penumbral phase, which then begins, is hardly noticeable at all, especially since you've been staring at bright moonlight. The eclipse finally ends at 11:22 pm when the Moon completely exits the Earth's shadow.

If you have binoculars or a telescope, this lunar eclipse is the time to put them to good use. The more optical aid an observer uses, the more detail one will discern. However, don't despair if you don't have access to expensive equipment. Mother Nature provided you with a pair of the most valuable observing tools -- your eyes! Use them to follow the progress of this beautiful event. Also, this total lunar eclipse occurs on a Saturday night, which is a public observing night at Seagrave Observatory. Visit with us and get some great looks through our contingency of telescopes.

Just after mid-month, our old and dear friend the Leonid meteor shower pays a visit to the environs of us earthbound astronomers. Unfortunately no major or minor meteor storms are predicted this year. Thus, we can expect the normal peak rate to be about 30 Leonids per hour on the night of November 17-18. (However, an alert has been issued for possible fireballs on the night of November 16- 17 and 19-20.) One small problem will certainly reduce the peak rate down to about 15 to 20 per hour -- the last quarter Moon will reside right in the middle of Leo's body that night.

Remember, the Leonids are the swiftest of all the meteor showers, hitting our atmosphere at a blazing 44 miles per second. They are green and blue in coloration and usually bright. Also, two years ago many bright fireballs were reported. Some even left long persistent dust trains high in the sky.

I'm sure glad many of you had an opportunity to observe the fantastic display two years ago. I know you and I will never forget the night when the sky was full of shooting stars.

Let's hope November's skies are cloud-free so we may enjoy the beautiful astronomical events Mother Nature has planned for us.

Visit Seagrave Observatory, the home of Skyscrapers, Inc., on the web at www.theskyscrapers.org for further information.

Keep your eyes to the skies.