Leonids - a meteor shower with a radiant in the constellation Leo (RA = 153 °, Decl. = + 22 °), valid from November 14 to 21. Known for heavy meteor showers.
| Leonids | |
|---|---|
 Meteor shower Leonids. 1966 year | |
| Activity period | November 6 - 30 |
| Activity High Date | November 17th |
| Radiant coordinates | α = 152 °, δ = + 22 ° |
| Antiaircraft hour number | 15 |
| Observed speed | 71 km / s |
| Opening year | 1832 [1] |
| Ancestor | 55P / Tempel - Tuttle |
| room | 00013 |
| Code | LEO |
Associated with comet 55P / Tempel - Tuttle . It has a pronounced periodicity of about 33 years, corresponding to the return of the comet-ancestress to the Sun. The last time the comet passed perihelion in 1998 , and will return again only in 2031 .
The stream is characterized by fast whitish meteors flying into the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of 71 km / s. The intensity of the stream varies from year to year and depends on the density of the stream through which the Earth passes.
History
The earliest historical evidence of this meteor shower is its description, made by Eutyches of Alexandria in 901 [2] .
The most famous meteor shower, which was observed in November 1833 in the United States in the territory from the Atlantic Ocean to the Rocky Mountains . described it this way: “A storm of falling stars hit the Earth ..., the sky in any direction was filled with luminous traces and illuminated by majestic fireballs. In Boston, the frequency of meteors was estimated to be approximately half its value for snow flakes in a moderate-strength storm ” [3] . In connection with this phenomenon, many preachers claimed that Judgment Day was approaching. This event was immortalized in the legends of the Indians [4] and in the songs of black slaves [2] .
In 1934, a jazz song appeared about this event called Stars fell on Alabama (“Stars fell on Alabama ”). It was performed by Frank Sinatra , Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong [5] . In connection with this song, license plates of Alabama residents' cars contain an image of stars and notes with the inscription “Stars Fell on Alabama” [6] .
The last time a powerful meteor shower was observed in 1966 , when every hour in the sky it was possible to observe up to 150 thousand meteors [4] .
In 1999, the anti-aircraft hourly number (ZHR) of the stream amounted to several thousand. Also noticeable surges were in 2000 and 2001 [4] .
In 2010, the ZHR was about 30 [7] ; observations were greatly hindered by the Moon in the 80% phase.
Notes
- ↑ Babadjanov P.B. Meteors and their observation. - M .: Nauka , 1987. - S. 167. - ( Library of the lover of astronomy ).
- ↑ 1 2 Leonids 2012 - November meteor shower (inaccessible link) . Date of treatment February 15, 2013. Archived December 1, 2012.
- ↑ Original quote: “... a tempest of falling stars broke over the earth ... the sky was scored in every direction with shining tracks and illuminated with majestic fireballs. At Boston, the frequency of meteors was estimated to be about half that of flakes of snow in an average snowstorm. ”See: Clerk, Agnes M. A Popular History of Astronomy During the Nineteenth Century . - Edinburgh: Adam & Charles Black, 1885 .-- P. 369-370.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Leonids (inaccessible link) . Date of treatment February 15, 2013. Archived on February 26, 2013.
- ↑ Stars Fell on Alabama
- ↑ Burba G. Debris of the firmament // Around the world . - 2007. - No. 11 .
- ↑ IMO: Leonids 2010 unopened (inaccessible link) . Date of treatment November 25, 2010. Archived November 15, 2010.