ASRAS

A last star party for the year!

The Leonid meteor shower peaks this night, so maybe we'll see a few as we get late in the party if we get lucky. Deep sky objects will be the main fare.

Dress very very warm as temps should be in the upper 30's!

Notes on the Leonids: As for most meteor showers, best viewing is in the early morning hours before sunrise, but definitely after midnight. In the morning, you're on the leading side of the Earth as it races through space in it's orbit. That's when you're most likely to see the bits of comet debris (that cause meteors) race into the Earth's atmosphere. Why morning? As the saying goes, you catch more bugs on the front windshield of the car than on the back window!

Best morning is the morning of Tuesday, Nov 17th. You don't need equipment, just your own eyes. Find a dark place away from city lights, curl up on a chair with a warm blanket, and sit back and let your eyes adapt to the dark for 20-30 minutes. Avoid any lights if possible as meteors may be faint. Watch for brief, fleeting glances of light streaking away from the constellation Leo. They may be seen almost anywhere in the sky, but true Leonids can be traced back to Leo.