Note -- you have reached the original astrophotographs.com website. Thanks very much for visiting. Logo contact information has been updated (i.e. we moved to Taos, NM) as below:

Willis Greiner
12 Rabbit Valley Road / P.O. Box 1515
El Prado, NM 87529
303-903-8996 or 575-758-3670
taosastronomer@gmail.com

You may also want to visit Willis' new astronomy site at: taosastronomer.com/

Welcome to "Under the Night Sky,"
the astrophotographs.com newsletter!

Willis Greiner's astrophotographs.com "Under the Night Sky"

6th edition
11/03/01

Hello!

Welcome to the 6th edition of astrophotographs.com newsletter! I've been very remiss in not attending to the newsletter recently, and I apologize for that.

Earlier this summer Cheryl and I traveled to Zimbabwe in southern Africa with Astronomy Magazine to observe the Total Solar Eclipse and to perhaps see a few animals. We were so very fortunate to not only visit and stay at no less than 5 wilderness safari camps, but also to view the magnificence of yet another Total Solar Eclipse (it was my 4th!) -- this time on a remote airstrip adjacent to a small rural village in northern Zimbabwe. Rather than pontificate here on all this, I've included links below to the brand-new willisgreinerphoto.com web site (featuring all of my "other" photography such as the wildlife, landscape and underwater varieties). Further, this site has a sprinkling of the astrophotography and Photofantasia, and includes links to those stand-alone web sites. Please visit the site and note especially the African galleries -- that's where the Solar Eclipse photos, African wildlife and landscape photos and, of course, the Zimbabwe narratives can be found. We had a marvelous time -- a link to the company who put it all together is included at the end of this newsletter.

Late in the summer my friends and I participated in our annual "Graybeards Float Trip," this time on the wonderful Salmon River cutting through the venerable "River of No Return Wilderness" in central Idaho. My river guide friend Gary and I have been "sponsoring" this event for quite a few years. We had previously chosen the slightly less demanding Green River in Utah, but this year chose the Salmon. He and I have floated it a dozen times. During this float the tragedy of September 11th occurred. We learned about it from one of the few ranches along the river; obviously, they had generated electricity and were able to access a CNN feed. After learning of the events it was a challenge to "run" the whitewater (which does require some concentration and ability to accept the task at hand) -- that afternoon we camped at what is likely my favorite place on the planet, affectionately named "The Center of the Universe" camp. Perhaps we gained some balance and perspective that evening when we viewed though the portable ETX-90 the great nebulae in Sagittarius -- I noted that these were places where the birth of stars and planets was occurring. Of course, the rest of the float was quiet and sobering.

As to current events, I would implore all of you to get outside in the early dawn hours of November 18th and observe the Leonid meteor shower. Normally this display is typified by 20 or so meteor bursts per hour, often bright objects possessing a beautiful yellow color. Every once in a while, though, the Earth passes through much more cometary debris (this motion defines the yearly meteor showers that the Earth witnesses) -- and this year could be absolutely spectacular. In Sky and Telescope's examination of this year's events, the following information was ascertained:


"If predictions by the world's top meteor experts hold up, early on the morning of November 18th skywatchers in North America can expect to see their most dramatic meteor shower in 35 years. These meteors, called Leonids because they appear to radiate from the constellation Leo (the Lion), will signal the collision of Earth with streams of fast-moving dust particles shed by Comet Tempel-Tuttle.

In the November 2001 Sky & Telescope meteorologist Joe Rao assesses the predictions provided by three teams of specialists. Rao concludes that two episodes of meteor storms appear likely. A burst lasting perhaps two hours is expected in the predawn hours of November 18th for observers throughout most of North and Central America. An even bigger storm arrives 8 hours later for viewers rimming the far-western Pacific Ocean. Because these locations are on the other side of the International Date Line, this peak occurs before dawn on November 19th. Several thousand meteors may streak across the sky for an hour or so starting at 3:30 or 4:30 a.m. in eastern Australia (depending on location); 2:30 a.m. in Japan; and 1:30 a.m. in western Australia, the Philippines, and eastern China."

(from Sky and Telescope's web site / 11-3-01)


Concluding, for observers in the Mountain Time Zone, looking skyward between 1 A.M. and 5 A.M. on the morning of November 18, 2001 would be optimum. Rao predicts the possibility of a rate of thousands of meteors per hour during that short time. Early evening viewing times will yield disappointing results for reasons of planetary physics. The Earth is turned away from its moving leading edge during the evening hours. Think of it as like attempting to drive a car by looking out the back window. During early morning hours, however, the Earth is "pushing into" its orbit.

In Asia (and the next day, per the article) the rate could reach the tens of thousands. Astounding.

To learn more, Google Leonid Meteor Storm.

I'll conclude now. Thanks for your e-mails and comments.

Dark skies,

Willis

http://www.willisgreinerphoto.com/ is the web address of my "traditional" photography.

http://www.willisgreinerphoto.com/africaindex.html is the specific starting point for the 2001 Zimbabwe Solar Eclipse and safari pages and images.

Contact us at 303.903.9886

All images and narratives copyright Willis Greiner, all rights reserved.