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Leonid Storm Observations From Israel

Forwarded from Asaf Shtull-Trauring (nidned@YAHOO.COM)

UNBELIEBABLE! AMAZING! INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No words can desrcibe the greatness of the Leonids
show from Israel, Mizpeh Ramon.

We and 5 other friends, arrived at 5:00 PM Wedmesday,
in a small hill in the Middle of the Machtesh Crater,
near Mitzpeh Ramon, the Ramon-Wise Observatory. We set
up our things, enjoyed nature and company, and started
observing at 11:00 PM. We were ALL alone (six
14-year-olds in the middle of nowhere).

We saw here and there a few nice meteors, usually very
long and yellow. My friends were really exicted Until
12:00 PM, the action grew bigger, as more and more
meteors showed. Then we saw a couple of cars come near
to our observing site. we welcomed the people with a
good morning, and continued our Obseravtions. Until
1:20 AM, there were so many people there, and the
action was really great. we saw about 70 meteors
per-hours, and my friends were still shouting in
surprise everytime they saw a meteor. Again, most
meteors were long and yellow. At 3:00 PM, the action
was DAMN high. We saw sometimes meteors showing
together, and we were so excited. We had the time to
Meet an Amateur Astronomer from Buffalo, who came to
Israel just for the Leonids. At 3:40 Pm, while my
friends were asleep, I started seeing a $%^ng storm.
There were sdo many meteors! I woke up my friends, and
at 4:30 PM, we wer observing an incredible Storm of 4
meteors per second in many occasions, and sometimes
even 10 (2 or 3 times such a thing happened). The
average of the peak was about 2-3 meteors per second
(a one-person's view).

Fireballs- I saw only 2. Both near the horizon. After
4:40, most meteors were VERY bright, sometimes even
Fireballs. We didn't see many long-yellow ones
anymore. There were so many meteors, we were just
overwhelmed. We even sang with another group of people
some Israeli songs!!!

Some phenomenon I don't understand. Sometimes my
friends ad I saw not very bright objects slowly
falling down the sky. Could it be fireball-remaints?
we saw about 5 of such objects, and they always
traveled very slowly downwars, 90 degrees to the
horzion. Anyone?

Thanks, Asaf.

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