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Rains of Fire

Whether or not you were able to witness the recent Leonid meteor shower, you will want to visit this web page published by the Armagh Observatory in Armagh, Ireland. Presented are volumes of historical and current data relating to the Leonid Meteor showers. These meteors come from the Leonid Stream, a dust and particle trail left by the 55P/Tempel-Tuttle comet which reaches its perihelion about 3 times each century. These particles, ranging in size from dust grains to pebbles, impact our atmosphere at high speeds and burn up - thus causing the lights that are sometimes described as "falling stars." Clear, concise, descriptive text explains the phenomenon in an interesting and informative way. Modern astronimical charts, and drawings wich date to the early 1800's, are included to enhance one's understanding of meteor showers and to illustrate the fear-inspiring spectacle that led many Americans in 1833 to believe that Judgement Day had arrived. A must-see website for anyone interested in astronomy or the atmospheric Sciences.

Sat, 20 Nov 1999 11:39:55 -0800

Submitted by: Carl T.