Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

November 12, 1999
See Explanation.  Clicking on the picture will download 
 the highest resolution version available.

1998 Leonid Fireball
Credit & Copyright: Lorenzo Lovato

Explanation: Will this be the year? Last year's Leonid meteor shower did not produce the meteor storm many had hoped for. Still, it put on a dazzling show with many bright fireball meteors. For example, this Leonid fireball, photographed through light clouds, eerily flashed across the skies of Monteromano, Italy on November 17, 1998. This year, the chances for a storm with thousands of meteors per hour are considered good ... but experts are quick to acknowledge that such predictions are tricky. Want to see for yourself? The predicted peak should occur on early Thursday, November 18 (UTC) but meteor activity will certainly be observable days before and after. If the night is clear, just grab a lawn chair and a warm jacket, go outside and look up!

Tomorrow's picture: The Leonid Comet


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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA)
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