Leonid meteor shower: 2009

[American Patriot]

Space Weather News for Nov. 16, 2009
http://spaceweather.com

LEONID METEOR SHOWER: The Leonid meteor shower peaks on Tuesday, Nov. 17th, with a new Moon providing ideally-dark viewing conditions. Forecasters expect a relatively mild display (20 to 30 meteors per hour) over North America followed by a much stronger outburst (100 to 300 per hour) over Asia. No matter where you live, the best time to look is during the dark hours before sunrise on Tuesday morning.

Visit http://spaceweather.com for full coverage of the Leonids, including live audio from a meteor radar, a live chat with a NASA meteor scientist, sky maps, photos and more.

[Malsua]

It's always too cold when Leonid comes around. I've tried to stay out for it one year and it just was a bust. Saw maybe 5 in the space of 90 minutes.

[Toad]

'04 or so I was living just outside of Seattle and took a late year camping trip up into the Cascades. (Pretty sure it was 2nd weekend of Nov, may have been 1st week) Hiked up a mountain side to the crestline and did a overnight winter camp up there. Set up camp, build a small fire and got some tea going, the sun set. Eventually went to bed. 2-3am I woke up to pee. Bundled back up, stepped into boots, walked 20-30 ft away from the tent and let it go. As I'm writning my name into the knee deep snow all the sudden this big-azz green fireball streaks across the sky horizon to horizon followed by a dozen much smaller green streaks. I yell at my buddy "Holy S&*%^ Dude, GTF out here! It's F-kin raining meteors!! and sure enough, we stand out there on a 7,000 ft crestline, not a city light around in 50 miles, watching meteors for the next hour shivering in the cold, but it was too awesome to walk away. It was singularly the best meteor storm I've ever seen in my life due to the perfect viewing conditions.

[Malsua]

'04 or so I was living just outside of Seattle and took a late year camping trip up into the Cascades. (Pretty sure it was 2nd weekend of Nov, may have been 1st week) Hiked up a mountain side to the crestline and did a overnight winter camp up there. Set up camp, build a small fire and got some tea going, the sun set. Eventually went to bed. 2-3am I woke up to pee. Bundled back up, stepped into boots, walked 20-30 ft away from the tent and let it go. As I'm writning my name into the knee deep snow all the sudden this big-azz green fireball streaks across the sky horizon to horizon followed by a dozen much smaller green streaks. I yell at my buddy "Holy S&*%^ Dude, GTF out here! It's F-kin raining meteors!! and sure enough, we stand out there on a 7,000 ft crestline, not a city light around in 50 miles, watching meteors for the next hour shivering in the cold, but it was too awesome to walk away. It was singularly the best meteor storm I've ever seen in my life due to the perfect viewing conditions.

I live for moments like that. It can be any amazing spectacle, but to view extraordinary things with exceptional clarity is an outstanding experience.