[MIham] Converging Planets and Leonid Meteors

[Frank]

Space Weather News for Nov. 16, 2008
http://spaceweather.com

EVENING PLANETS: When the sun goes down tonight, step outside and look 
southwest. The two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter, are shining through 
the twilight side by side. You'll want to keep an eye on these two because 
they are drawing noticeably closer together every night.  Venus and Jupiter 
are converging on a patch of sky in Sagittarius where they will have a 
spectacular double-conjunction with the Moon at the end of the month. Don't 
wait until then, though. Visit http://spaceweather.com for sky maps and 
start watching now.

LEONID METEOR WATCH:  The Leonid meteor shower peaks this year on Nov. 17th 
and 18th.  Bright moonlight will probably spoil the show, but not 
necessarily.  Researchers who study Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, the source of 
the Leonids, say Earth is going to pass through one or two of the comet's 
dusty filaments.  Peak rates of 20 to 100 meteors per hour are possible 
during the early hours of Nov. 17th (especially 0000-0200 UT) and again 
during the waning hours of Nov. 18th (around 2130 UT).  These times favor 
sky watchers in Europe, Africa, and Asia.  Smaller numbers of Leonids could 
appear between the anticipated peak times. Meteor enthusiasts everywhere 
should monitor the sky on Nov. 17th and 18th; the hours before local dawn 
are usually best.

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