muntjac
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so what are you doing in the early hours of sunday morningme? i will be on my beach if its clear skies .
why? read on
Stargazers in Britain could be treated to an "outburst'' of hundreds of meteors this weekend during the annual Leonid meteor shower.
The country is among the best-placed to view the the night-time spectacular in the hours before dawn on Sunday.
But whether residents are treated to the sight of dozens of meteors burning up in the earth's atmosphere will depend on the weather.
Forecasters fear that much of southern England will be covered by cloud when the showers take place sometime between 4.45am and 6.30am on Sunday morning.
A typical November Leonid shower brings 10 to 20 meteors an hour under ideal viewing conditions, a dark sky filled with stars and free of light pollution.
This year the Earth is passing through a denser trail of debris left by the Comet Tempel-Tuttle. This will cause a higher concentration of meteors.
Alan MacRobert, senior editor of Sky and Telescope magazine, said onlookers in England and western Europe will get the best view.
Bill Cooke, of NASA, said an outburst of more than 100 Leonids per hour was possible, but they will be faint.
He said: "The stream contains very small grains of comet dust. Small grains make faint meteors - it's as simple as that.''
The Leonids get their name because they appear to come from the constellation of Leo.
Meteor spotters should watch from a vantage point with as little light pollution as possible and allow time for their eyes to adjust to the dark, experts said.
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lottie
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Not much light pollution where I live so will have a look out for them.
Thanks for that mj
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Libby
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Well according to the weather forecast where we live we have a frost!! As I'm usually up early anyway I will definately take a look. We have very little light poloution here so could be good!!!
By the way which way do I look????
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muntjac
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up ? 
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lottie
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Libby
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I walked straight into that one 
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muntjac
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well at least you had your eyes open ? :  :
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Haize
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Thanks for the reminder, muntjac.
Um, Leo will rise almost completely due east I think, a few hours before that peak. I guess look at some images (google search?) to try to get the idea of the shape. They come from near the head of the lion. Or collection of dots
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Libby
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 I didn't see anything of the comet!!!!!
But it was glorious out there! Its a long time since I've been outside that early! It just reminds us how small we are!! It was lovely!!!
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Kathy
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Mr Kathy always gets up early, he saw 3 meteors 
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muntjac
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well i was up and on the beach for 330am n it was briliant i had my binos on good job i wasnt alone lol we had a maybe 20 others there and we had a great show right up until the sun came up over the sea ,
and libby ? it wasnt a comet hon , it was loads of likkle baby comets ,thier called meteors so if you saw a load of shooting stars they was ur meteors 
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Libby
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 I know, I ment meteors. i had been up a while
see I must have been looking the wrong way if everyone else saw them 
will it happen again next year or have I missed it for good??????
Well if I have missed it, nudge me again if anything else like this happens, please 
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muntjac
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ithink its a few hundrd years now ,so if you canstick around hon , save a place for me hehhe
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Haize
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There are lots of other ones, some of greater intensity. Don't worry, you'll have other chances, just not from this particular Comet's tail!
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muntjac
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will give you a few dates for your diary when i get back from scotland ,going tues till 30th so dont think i left ya'll
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Kathy
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What you doing in Scotland Muntjac?
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Becki
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I would love to visit Scotland. Lucky you. I have a very vague memory of a salmon leap? went there when I was very little I think. Of course it could of been somewhere else entirely.
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muntjac
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my oldest sons graduating from caledonian uni glasgow ,and i am having the rest of the trip shooting for pheasant partridge maybe a grouse / fishing for sea fish boat and beach / hunting for a deer as well ,getting a good drop of the amber nectar as well but not in that order all on my lonesome ,, id take a lady but i dont own one
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Haize
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Oh, I was in Scotland a few years ago, and we went to a place where, because they had dammed the river, they had to build a series of connected chambers for the fish to use to get up and down the river. It is amazing how they go back to the same place as they were hatched, after their entire lifetime out at sea.
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muntjac
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for your diary
the next real shower and the best i reckon is the geminids around the 13th of december so look for updates on the tv Best viewing windows: The entire night of December 13/14 (Wednesday evening through Thursday morning). Begin viewing around 9pm on Tuesday evening.
following BLURB by wes stone
The Geminids are a beautiful, prolific and reliable shower. While December nights can be bone-chilling, for many areas sky transparency is better than it is during the August Perseids. The Geminids are also accessible for many Southern Hemisphere locations, unlike the Perseids. This year, there is slight interference from a waning crescent Moon (about 1/3 lit). However, the Moon doesn't rise until about 1am, allowing a lot of dark sky time. And even after it rises, the Moon shouldn't discourage continued observing. The radiant is highest in the sky at around 2am, but from mid-northern latitudes it is at a decent elevation from around 9pm until the beginning of morning twilight.
The Geminids can produce observed rates of up to 100/hour at maximum. Even if those numbers are a bit optimistic for this year, this will be a shower that just about anyone can enjoy if the weather cooperates. Decent numbers of sporadic meteors (~10-15/hour from dark sites) will add to the display. The shower often shows a plateau-like maximum, with near-maximum rates being sustained for many hours before dropping off rather sharply.
Geminids are medium-speed meteors. Most of them don't leave glowing trains, but the brighter ones are often colored (yellow, green and blue are most common). The proportion of bright meteors and fireballs is higher during and after maximum than on pre-maximum nights. The shower is active from December 7-17; observations before the peak night will be impeded by a bright Moon this year, although December 12/13 is worth a shot. December 14/15 may be worth watching as well, although as stated above activity tends to fall off sharply after the peak.
sorry for the techy blurb .but its written in part by wes stone and i credit the blurb to him
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lottie
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Enjoy your trip to Scotland muntjac and congratulations on your eldest son's graduation - you will burst with pride when you see him lining up to get his scroll - (well I know I did)
I love Scotland too and we have toured around it quite a bit. You must tell all when you get back.
P.S.
No one ever 'owns' a lady young man they allow men the privilege to grace them with their presence!
Seriously - have a good time, and the last thing you need is a 'lady' jabbering away when you are hunting, I'm sure!
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Libby
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Brilliant, Muntjac thanks for that! I have written it on the calander!!!
I have rellies and friends in Bonnie Scotland! Haven't been up for years though!  Get these darling children through Uni, then we can be off!!
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muntjac
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he has already graduated from the met and he is only 24 so i am used to seeing him get through ,but i feel proud of my kids anyways no matter what . my daughter ( adopted ) is deaf and she has been through colleg and is a ba honours graphic artist and currently works with touchstone pictures . my youngest is gonna be a " science cop " for the police service and is due to finish part 3 next year ,and me i never passed my 11 plus before i was at sea .ended up being WO2 with doing schooling aboard ships etc
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