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Leonid MAC

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These pages contain links to press releases of Leonid MAC affiliated organisations and news releases that pertain directly to the leonid shower and research.

Press Releases and News Stories


THE 2002 CAMPAIGN

  • Aug 28, 2003 - LINGERING TRAINS IN METEORS SHINE AFTER BREAKUP HIGH IN ATMOSPHERE
    Researchers meet at NASA Ames Research Center to compare notes during 2003 Leonid MAC Workshop.

  • Nov 14, 2002 - NASA PREPARES FOR "LAST CHANCE" METEOR SHOWER (JPL release)
    On Nov. 15, a team of 42 astrobiologists from seven countries will depart from southern California's Edwards Air Force Base on a mission to Spain to observe this year's two Leonid storm peaks.

  • Nov 13, 2002 - METEOR SHOWERS TO PROVIDE RARE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY (University of Alaska at Fairbanks).
    Dr. Hans Nielsen of the UAF Geophysical Institute will use this rare viewing opportunity to further his research on the structure of meteors.

  • Oct 18, 2002 - NASA RESEARCHERS SEEK ASTROBIOLOGY INSIGHTS (Astrobiology Institute)
    A first announcement by the NASA Astrobiology Institute of the new Astrobiology Leonid MAC mission to explore the 2002 Leonid meteor storms for clues to the fate of extraterrestrial organic matter in the origin of life. Leonid MAC PI Dr. Peter Jenniskens will give a public seminar webcast on expected meteor activity and the various experiments on Monday October 28 (11:00 a.m. PST, 02:00 p.m. EST, 19:00 UT).

  • Aug 13, 2002 - PERSEID METEORS PUT ON SKY SHOW

    - Watchers keep count in preparation for November's big Leonid shower

SAMPLE OF NEWS STORIES FROM THE 2002 LEONIDS:

[t.b.d.]


THE 2001 CAMPAIGN

  • Nov 19, 2001 - LEONID METEORS DAZZLE VIEWERS
    (Space.com) - Observers witnessed shooting stars every few seconds, with bursts of several at once.

  • Nov 18, 2001 - ESA's LIVE WEBSITE
    (ESA) - Live website for satellite operators, showing Leonid MAC flux measurements

  • Nov 19, 2001 - LEONIDS 2001, THE ADVENTURE DOWN UNDER
    (ESA) - ESA scientists capture the Lion's offspring down under

  • Nov 18, 2001 - PLANNING PAYS OFF: CHANDRA SAILS THROUGH THE LEONIDS UNHARMED

    • (Chandra X-Ray Observatory) - Chandra's operation control center during the 2001 Leonids

  • Nov 16, 2001 - LEONIDS AROUND THE CLOCK
    (NASA) - This month's Leonid meteor shower promises to be the most spectular in North America since 1966.

  • Nov 13, 2001 - NASA LEONIDS ACTIVITIES: SLEAPHEADS MAY MISS SPECTACULAR CELESTIAL DISPLAY
    (JPL) - On Nov. 18, a team of 19 astrobiologists from five countries will depart from southern California's Edwards Air Force Base on an NKC-135 research aircraft to keep an eye on the sky for satellite operators and to study the processes that may have jump-started life on Earth.
SAMPLE OF NEWS STORIES FROM THE 2001 LEONIDS:
  • SF Chronicle: Meteor shower offers breakthroughs - Analyzing Leonid event may improve forecasts

  • Space.com: SPECIAL REPORT: 2001 Leonid Meteor Shower - A grand diversion: the 2001 Leonid storm in words and pictures
  • Daily Press: Bursting sky a fine feast for the soul
  • SF Chronicle: Celestial magic, Leonid meteor shower delights sky watchers
  • Boston Herald: Historic meteor showers light up the pre-dawn sky
  • NY TIMES: Leonid meteor shower, visible worldside, provides dazzling show for stargazers; shower peaks with average of 10 meteors per minute
  • Orlando Sentinel: Meteors light up the night; the annual shower, the most impressive in years, captivated stargazers across the United States
  • CNN: MIR, Mars, meteors highlight year in space
  • CNN: Anticipating what could be the perfect meteor storm


Dec. 20, 2000 SURPRISE METEOR SHOWER EXPECTED ON WINTER SOLSTICE (NASA Ames Research Center)

An outburst of Ursid meteors is predicted for December 22, 2000, at around 7:29 UT. This 2-4 hour duration shower with expected peak rates up to 1/minute is caused by dust from comet 8P/Tuttle that was ejected in 1405 (and 1392), before the time of Columbus.

SAMPLE OF NEWS STORIES FROM THE 2000 URSIDS:

  • Space.com: Usually dim Ursids will Provide Light Sho Early Friday
  • San Francisco Chronicle: A dance of dust that began in Columbus time


THE 2000 CAMPAIGN

The opportunity for further missions was only confirmed with the Nov. 1999 Leonid meteor storm. The 2000 campaign followed too closely on the 1999 campaign to allow us to raise sufficient funding for another airborne campaign this year.

Our focus now is on instrument tests and data reduction in preparation for further missions in 2001 and 2002 when two more meteor storms are predicted. First results have been published in an upcoming special issue of Earth, Moon and Planets. New excerpts from various papers are given daily at:
http://leonid.arc.nasa.gov/leonidnews.html

  • Nov. 13, 2000 LEONID METEORS YIELD RICH ASTROBIOLOGY RESEARCH RESULTS (NASA Ames Research Center)

SAMPLE OF NEWS STORIES FROM THE 2000 LEONIDS:

  • Space.com: Leonid meteor shower: sowing the seeds of life?
  • Los Angeles Daily News: Meteors to light up night sky
  • CNN: Leonid showers to rain over North America
  • San Jose Mercury News: Life from Space?


THE 1999 CAMPAIGN

  • Dec. 03, 1999 - EDWARDS AIRCREWS ENJOY FRONT-ROW SEATS FOR LEONID (Edwards Air Force Base)
  • Nov. 23, 1999 - U OF R GRAD STUDENT RETURNS FROM SCIENTIFIC OBSERVATION FLIGHTS (University of Regina)


  • Nov 18, 1999 - STORMY NIGHT FOR ASTROBIOLOGISTS STUDYING LEONID METEORS (NASA Ames Research Center)


  • Nov 16, 1999 - LEONIDS ASTROBIOLOGY MISSION OFF TO A GOOD START (NASA Ames Research Center)


  • Nov. 15, 1999 - Huge Fireball Dazzles Midwest (Space Science News)


  • Nov 09, 1999 - NASA Engineers to Operate Center for Monitoring Leonids Shower; Scientists to Launch Balloon for Clear View of Leonids Meteors (Marshall Space Flight Center)


  • Nov 05, 1999 - A Surprise November Meteor Shower? On November 11, 1999 Earth will pass close to the orbit of newly-discovered Comet LINEAR C/1999J3. The result could be a new meteor shower -- the Linearids. This article includes tips for visual and ham radio observing. (NASA Space Science News)


  • Nov 03, 1999 - Edwards to ferry NASA scientists around world in 8 days to study Leonid (Edwards AFB)


  • Nov 03, 1999 - Leonids on the Moon. Leonid meteorite impacts on the Moon might be visible from Earth and provide a means for long-distance lunar prospecting (Marshall Space Flight Center). See also news.


  • Nov 01, 1999 - Air Force Fears Satellite Damage During Upcoming Meteor Showers.

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force said Friday it will be watching closely for any damage to U.S missile-warning, communications and other military satellites when the earth passes through the Leonid Meteor Storm on Nov. 17.

    The storm, consisting of tiny sand-like particles traveling faster than 140,000 mph, is essentially a cloudy tail of space debris from the comet Temple-Tuttle.

    Although there was some concern when the earth first passed through the comet's tail in 1998, the Air Force said scientists expect this year to be the largest display from Temple-Tuttle since 1966 (Reuters).


  • October 27, 1999 - Most experts agree that 1999 is a likely year for a Leonids meteor storm (Marshall Space Flight Center, Space Science News).


  • September 1, 1999 - (See also: here)   -  Fine Leonid Meteor displays predicted through 2002.

    November's Leonid meteor shower will produce good displays this year and next, and strong storms of meteors in 2001 and 2002, according to new research by Dr David Asher, of Armagh Observatory, and Dr Rob McNaught of the Australian National University. Writing in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (21 August 1999 issue), they show how the times when Earth passes through the dense streams of matter in space that produce meteor showers can now be predicted with remarkable accuracy (Royal Astronomical Society News Release).


  • June.  22, 1999 - Leonids on the Horizon: What's in store for the 1999 Leonid meteor shower? Experts make their predictions (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center).


  • June.  22, 1999 - The Great Leonid Meteor Storm of 1833: This Feature Story presents a charming, first-hand account of the great meteor shower that marked the discovery of the Leonids and the birth of a new branch of astronomy (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center).

SAMPLE OF NEWS STORIES FROM THE 1999 LEONIDS:

  • Leonids Light Up the Sky - heaviest meteor storm in 33 years (ABCNews.com)
  • A Fall of Comet Dust (Andrew Chaikin, Space.com)
  • Leonid storm disappoints few (SpaceViews)
  • Leonids rain in Spain, NASA Space Science News
  • The Leonid Storm! (Astronomy Now)
  • Awaiting the storm, Sky & Telescope
  • Storm watch '99: Leonid meteors may wow the world (Seattle Times)
  • Brilliant Leonid storm likely fodder for later Lincoln speech (Jim Vertuno, AP)
  • Pace of Leonids expected to increase (CNN.com)
  • The Leonids are Back, will they Storm or fizzle?" (CNN.com)
  • Leonid storm in 1999? Earth & Sky Radio Series
  • Leonids to blaze brightly until 2002 (SpaceDaily)


THE 1998 CAMPAIGN


SAMPLE OF NEWS STORIES FROM THE 1998 LEONIDS:

  • Meteors get glowing reviews (San Jose Mercury News - Glennda Chui)
  • New Mexicans enjoy heavenly light show (AP - Louinn Lota)
  • Leonid Fireballs dazzle the world (Sky & Telescope)
  • Satellites weather: Leonid storm
  • Satellites survive meteor shower (Washington Post)
  • Astronomers review meteor show (MSNBC)
  • Whatever happened to the Leonid meteor shower (Christian Science Monitor)
  • Leonids arrive too early (BBC)
  • Did the Leonid storm peak early? (The Hindu)
  • Early birds catch the Leonids (Space Science News)
  • The 1998 Leonids: a bust or a blast? (Space Science News)
  • Did the Leonid Storm peak early (The Hindu)
  • Scientists prepare for the unknown from Leonid (Herald Democrat)
  • The Leonids are coming, the leonids are coming! (ScienceNews Online)
  • Leonid meteor shower to be studied (Popular Science)
  • Into the light storm (BBC)
  • Leonid meteor storm won't deter Hubble (Astronomy Online)
  • Space news: Leonid mania
  • Mir cosmonauts deploy meteoroid trap during spacewalk
  • Leonid Meteors Provide Test Opportunities For Starfire Optical Range
  • The 14th AF is leading the DoD military effort in obtaining information about the upcoming Leonids storm.
  • Battening down for Leonids storm (SpaceDaily)

 
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