Leonid Meteor Shower
Sign in Heavens - Prophecy

Some 2° to the NW from Gamma Leonis is the radiant point of the famous Leonid Meteors which currently reach their maximum on November 17 each year, and stage more or less spectacular displays at intervals of 33 years. This is the swarm that produced the fabulous meteor shower of November 13, 1833, and the almost equally fine ones of 1799, 1866, and 1966. The Leonids are disintegration products of the Tempel-Tuttle Comet (1866 l) which has a relatively short period of 33.176 years, and whose orbit very nearly intersects that of the Earth. Although some meteors appear each year in November as the Earth crosses their path, the finest displays occur only at third -of-a- century intervals, just after the parent comet has passed. The next great star -shower from the Leonid swarm is expected before dawn on the morning of November 17 or 18, 1999. Burnham's Celestial Handbook v2 Dover NY 1978 p. 1064

Image: The Leonid Meteor Shower of November 13, 1833, from a contemporary print. The Leonid Swarm also produced spectacular displays in 1799, 1866, and 1966.
 

Meteor shower poses threat to Earth satellites

April 27, 1998
MANHATTAN BEACH, California (CNN) -- The most severe meteor storm in 33 years will provide a spectacular celestial light show, but the debris could damage or destroy the satellites that help provide Earth's worldwide communications, navigation and weather forecasting.

The Leonid meteor shower occurs yearly in November, but this year astronomers say the storm will be strongest since 1966. At that time, only about 100 satellites were orbiting the Earth. Now there are nearly 500.

The tiny particles of Leonid typically burn up in the Earth's atmosphere, and none are expected to strike the surface. But the particles are speeding along so fast that they could be as destructive as a .22-caliber bullet if they strike a satellite.

At a two-day meeting called the Leonid Meteoroid Storm and Satellite Threat Conference, about 200 satellite operators, insurers and scientists are discussing what can be done, including turning off satellites or repositioning them away from the storm.

"The consequences are still virtually unknown. There has not been a meteor storm since the onset of the modern space age. Nobody planned for it," said Peter Brown, a physics and astronomy graduate student at the University of Western Ontario who advises satellite operators.

In 1993, a meteor struck the Olympus satellite operated by the European Space Agency. The satellite's directional control was destroyed, rendering the satellite useless.

Some are taking protective action. The Hubble Space Telescope will be turned to angle its optics away from the incoming particles.

The celestial show caused by the showers will be visible this year across the Western Pacific and Asia. In 1999, the showers will be visible in the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Storms can last 90 minutes to two hours.

Some scientists say the odds of satellite damage are low.

"I think it is very unlikely that any major satellites will be impacted by a meteor particle to the extent that it can no longer operate," said Donald Yeomans, an astronomer in NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

But scientists can't predict the risk posed by the particles. The particles could poke holes in solar panels, pit lenses, blast reflective coating off mirrors, short out electrical circuits with a burst of electromagnetic energy or even reprogram computers, said Edward Tagliaferri, a consultant with the nonprofit Aerospace Corp.

Military satellites are better off because they are built to withstand a nuclear attack. But unlike their commercial counterparts, they can't go off the air, Tagliaferri said.

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