THE SKY THIS NOVEMBER: PROBABILITY OF METEOR SHOWERS: 80 PERCENT

Well, the meteor shower last month was a total dud. I was fortunate to be in the mountains near Flagstaff, Ariz., on the Oct. 8 and observed for over 45 minutes and only saw three faint meteors. I told you weather forecasting was easier. This fall has certainly been the season of transient phenomena centered mostly on possible high levels of meteor activity.

The month of November is no different as we have an even better chance of witnessing a meteor "storm" on the mornings of Nov. 17 and 18. Remember that comets leave a dusty trail behind them as they orbit the Sun and when the earth rams into this dusty orbit the fiery entry of the dust into our atmosphere is witnessed as a meteor. Normal meteor showers produce about one meteor per minute. Meteor storms can produce several per second! The November issue of Sky and Telescope has an excellent article about the possible meteor storm.

On the mornings of Nov. 17 and 18 the Earth crosses the orbit of comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. The shower is known as the Leonid shower because all the meteors appear to be coming from the constellation Leo. This year the comet has recently passed through this region in its orbit and the Moon even cooperates being in the new phase which means it is near the Sun and unobservable.

If you have a 35mm camera that has a "B" or "T" setting you can try to photograph the meteors by using an ASA 200 or 400 speed film with the camera lens set to the fastest setting and focused at infinity while pointing the camera toward the constellation Leo (overhead at sunrise) using a tripod. An exposure time of 10-15 minutes should work well.

I am pleased to announce that Southeast Missouri State University had a small dedication ceremony for the new astronomical observatory. Since the site can only handle ~a few people at a time, attendance was restricted to university officials. Afterwards we all enjoyed good views of the Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn. We are now in a much better position to accommodate requests from public groups interested in observing opportunities. If you have had troubles arraigning sessions with the university in the past, please give us another chance as we now have a permanent site which reduces our effort and makes it more enjoyable for everyone.

The observatory is quite modest and can only accommodate about 15 people at a time. The best time to observe is a few days before or after the first quarter Moon. The first quarter moon will show shadow details along its terminator which adds to the 3D effect, and Jupiter and Saturn will be around to finish things off. Tuesdays and Thursdays are reserved for the astronomy class at the university.

We can accommodate people on a first come first served basis. Please call 651-2172 to make appointments. Sessions should start about 7 p.m. during the winter months and last about one hour on site. There can be no cloudy weather make up date without starting the reservation process over again. Please dress for the weather as standing on top of a hill in the middle of winter in the Midwest can be a character building experience.

This month sees the return of the winter constellations late in the evening. The constellation Orion (the hunter) being one of the most famous is preceded by Taurus (the bull) and the Pleiades which is a small star cluster that looks like a miniature little dipper. The Pleiades were the seven daughters of Atlas. To the normal eye only six stars are seen but binoculars can see dozens and a telescope can see hundreds. The missing seventh sister was taken by a bad guy and stories vary as to the final outcome. Jupiter continues to dominate the evening sky while Saturn, ten times fainter, still puts on a good show. On the evening of Nov. 27 the Moon passes just 1 degree north of Jupiter. Your camera should be able to capture the pair and make a nice picture.

The astronomy club meets the third Monday of the month in front of 121 Rhodes Hall at the university. This month we plan to go to the observatory. Everyone interested is welcome to attend.

~Dr. Michael Cobb is an astronomer and chairman of the physics department at Southeast Missouri State University. Contact him with questions at cobb@physics.semo.edu