|
| |
|
2001Leonids -
Away Team Report |
| As predicted, the
2001 Leonid Meteorite storm proved to be one of the most dramatic
displays for many years...but such was the luck of "The Eyes",
as between the 17th to 19th November, thick cloud cover in our area
marred any form of good observation. Our team of six traveled to
Carbeth, a smallish |
 |
| village situated
N,NW of
Glasgow. A friend had arranged some good accommodation for us at his
cabin home, quite luxurious due to its picturesque location on
good high ground ... and with a respectable level of low light
pollution. |
 |
Without access
to electricity it was "back to basics" ... chopping
wood for the log fire & scooting about with containers to collect our water. Wonder
if it was like this for Galileo & Copernicus....??
By 22.00 on the
evening of the 16th we were well settled & comfortable but
the skies outside were covered in thick cloud, allowing only brief
glances of the Cosmos through the |
| broken skies. Jupiter
& Saturn were rising
beautifully, evidently the main spotlights of the evening sky......so
far! Still full of optimism, the gallant six waited patiently to
view the storm but by the time the constellation of Leo had risen, there
was not a single star to be seen... never mind any Meteors. |
|
| However,
spirits were not dampened & with humorous ritualism we created our
own "sky display" by launching four massive rocket fireworks. We retired to the cabin, warmed ourselves up with hot tea
& coffee.......and waited. It's now 01.00am on the cold morning of
the17th. |
 |
Once again we ventured outside. At long last we were gifted with our first
visible Meteorite. Not the most dramatic ever to be seen, though definitely
appearing from the radiant of Leo. It burned out in a colorless white
flash. I reminded myself of the 1998 Leonid storm when most of
the UK saw virtually nothing due to the thick cloud cover, yet myself & fellow
Eyes witnessed a dazzling spectacle |
| that
fine November evening....50 to 100 Leonids
per
hour at peak, multi colored burn ups and dramatic flares. ....Oh
where are they now? |
| Feeling slightly more
inspired we ventured off from base camp in hope of searching out clearer
skies, but alas, the Gods were not with us, viewing only sporadic
patches of Stars & an occasional flash of Meteorite through the
increasingly thickening clouds. Any Stargazer knows that on
such expeditions, you can't argue with Mother Nature, (Though,
admittedly, The Eyes have been known to have uttered the odd profanity
towards her..Shame on Us!) |
 |
| Alas, the weather dictates
& we have to accept the good with the bad. Can we really
complain...., after all we were so gifted back in 1998 compared to
others in the country......!
By 3am it was time to accept that there was not going to
be much of an |
 |
improvement to our night's viewing conditions. We headed back to the cabin,
warmed ourselves up by the log fire & enjoyed chatting about our previous stargazing trips & adventures. There we sat like six fishermen talking about "the one (or
is it 100's) that got
away?" |
| I hadn't fallen for the hype of a predicted
peak of 1000 Meteorites an hour. This expectancy was only available
to those in the Southern Hemisphere & initial reports reveal an
excellent show for The Eyes down under. |
|
In one
last attempt, my friend & I (the only two remaining diehards of the
evening), ventured outside for one more try. The time - 06.25am....
and there it was. From nowhere (well, actually the constellation
of Leo), a massive Leonid fizzed
through the sky & exploded with a |
 |
| bright green flash. Though
dramatic, the glow it created was not near as bright as the smiles on
our faces.
This proved to be the last observation of our adventure. The
heavy cloud on the night of the 18th going into the 19th was even worse
than the night before.
Despite the poor viewing conditions,
the 2001 Leonid Storm has, yet again, remained an enjoyable "At one with the
Universe" experience. After many years of Stargazing, I've
certainly learned one thing.... Watching the skies is often like having
a good meal... It's not the food, it's the company you eat it
with.
Until next year......
BETANSKI |
Storm Reports
[Contents] [Back to
News]
|
