International Leonid Watch

• Announcements
• Observing reports:
• 1998 Leonids - observing plans (new)
• 1997 Leonids - first results
• 1996 Leonids - first results
• Meteor storm simulation program
• Popularisation
• Comments and opinions
• International Leonid Watch

• Studies on recent Leonid returns
• Abstracts of papers on the Leonids
• Addresses

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• March 15-19: 30th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, LPI, Houston, Texas
• April 12-15: Workshop on the scientific impact of the November '98 Leonid shower, NASA/Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California.
• April 19-23: European Geophysical Society, XXIV General Assembly, session on Leonids, The Hague, The Netherlands.
• April 28-30: Workshop on Thermal Emission Spectroscopy and Analysis of Dust, Disks, and Regoliths, LPI, Houston, Texas
• Early May: UN Conference on Near-Earth Space.
• May 11-13: Leonid Meteoroid Storm and Satellite Threat Conference, Manhattan Beach, California
• July 4-7: Amateur-Professional Partnership in Astronomical Research and Education, Toronto, Canada
• July 11-16: 62th annual meeting of the Meteoritical Society, Johannesburg, South Africa.
• July 26-30: Asteroids, Comets, Meteors 1999, special session on Leonids, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
• August: workshop on Leonids in UK.
• August 14-16: Second International Workshop on Cometary Astronomy (IWCA II), The University Cambridge, England

• Meetings and Conferences IAU Commission 22
• Meetings and Conferences Lunar and Planetary Institute
• INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMY MEETINGS CADC

1998 LEONIDS - OBSERVING PLANS

Observing plans for the 1998 return of the Leonids from locations worldwide are summarized here.

FIRST RESULTS 1997 LEONIDS

Results from Europe:
The night Nov. 16/17: the Netherlands,Germany, radio Netherlands,Italy, Canary Islands, Northern Italy, radio Netherlands. The night Nov. 17/18: the Netherlands.

Results from USA/Canada:
Arkansas, East coast, Eastcoast, Hawaii, Illinois,Houston, California, California, East coast, radio Florida, radio Florida, island east coast, Arizona, radio Canada.

Results from southern America:
Brasil1, Brasil2

Results from Asia:
radio Japan.

First impressions from professional activities:
Univ. of Illinois, FISBAT-CNR, Inst. of Atmospheric Physics,Kuehlungsborn, Germany , Edwards AFB radar, Edwards AFB photography, Edwards AFB photography.

First analysis:
IAU Circular,M. Langbroek, DMS, R. Arlt, IMO.

THE WEATHER ON NOVEMBER 17,1997:

(courtesy Steve Marchant, CCC - Meteosat):
Africa
Australia
Eastern Asia
Europe
Eastern USA
USA

FIRST RESULTS 1996 LEONIDS

The Leonids returned much as expected in 1996. Many people were clouded out. That was unfortunate, because the shower was as strong as a return of the Perseids, with an excess of bright meteors. The rates of the showerstill follow closely the behavior of the 1960's.A summary report is given by Kelly Beaty of S&T. Further reports on 1996 1996 Leonids arefound here. See also Japanese radioobservations

LEONID STORM SIMULATION PROGRAM

A free program for PC was developed by Sirko Molau of the International Meteor Organisation that can simulate the rate of meteors during a meteor storm. The program is meant to be a tool for practising visual meteor observing and observers are recommended to make good use of it before heading into the field.

POPULARISATION

J. Rao has written an enthusiastic report on the upcoming Leonid storms in Sky & Telescope (1995).

J.W. Mason wrote a report in J. Br. Astron. Assoc. (1995).

See also article by Alan MacRobert for S&T (1996).

For those who speak portugese better than english: read about theLeonidsin the Brasilian newspaper "O Globo" (July14, 1997)

For those that can read thai,click here.

The Nippon Meteor Society has issued the not-for-profit "The Nippon Meteor Society Leonid Project Manuals, Vol. 1, 2 and 3 (1993-5)". The manuals are edited by Takatsugu Yoshida. Vol. 2 describes observing methods and past results on observing meteors and the Leonids in particular. Vol. 3 is a summary of "the history of the strong activities and the study of the Leonid meteor stream". All manuals are in Japanese.

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COMMENTS AND OPINIONS

On the possible impact of Leonid storms on satellite operations.

THE INTERNATIONAL LEONID WATCH

So many meteors, so many people with ideas of where to go, how to observe, and what to learn from the results. The International Leonid Watch is an informal collaboration of amateur and professional meteor astronomers aimed at generating interest in the upcoming Leonid outbursts and advancing theoretical and observational studies of these events.

Shortly after the successful International Halley Watch (which included meteor observations of Orionids and eta-Aquarids), it was realised that the1998/1999 Leonids would have the same power to bring together amateur and professional observers as did the 1986 return of comet Halley. ILW activities were independently started by Japanese, Dutch and Canadian observers. A regular "Bulletin of the International Leonid Watch" is published in WGN, the Journal ofthe International Meteor Organisation. Under the guidance of Peter Brown of the University of Western Ontario, a first ILW meeting was organised at the Asteroids, Comets, Meteors 1991 symposium in Flagstaff, Arizona. Peter has since most enthusiastically advocated the ILW. Most ILW activities are done in the context of existing organisations of meteor observers, and that will remain so.

Here, we advance the goals of the International Leonid Watch by offering a podium for results and opinions that relate to past and upcoming Leonid events. These pages frequently report ongoing activities and new results.

In order to stimulate mutual contacts, a directory of addresses will be maintained of amateur and professional astronomers who are active in the study of the Leonid stream.

You can participate to the activities on this site by sending your contribution to the editors at:

peter@max.arc.nasa.gov

Come back to this site soon!