[The background above is part of an image by the Hubble Space Telescope of the Crescent Nebula.]

WHERE: At Fairfield School, Road 32, Davis.

Come to our Leonid meteor shower party on Friday November 17 at 8:00 at Fairfield School. Amateurs are hoping this year that the Leonid Meteor Shower will put on a grand show! Fortunately, the Moon will be out of the sky, so we should have good viewing, if there are any meteors to be see. We are pinning our hopes on Peter Jenniskens of NASA Ames, who has done wonders with shower predictions in recent years based on airborne observation of the trails left by different comet passes.

It look as if the night of the 17/18th (and especially after 2am Sunday morning) might be spectacular from the countryside around here with as many as 2000/hour. This could be one of the best shows for us locals in a long time, depending (as always) on the weather, of course.

The great 1996 Leonid storm occurred around midnight, November 17, 1966 in the western U.S. At that time, some observers estimated as many as 150,000 meteors per hour were visible. That storm occurred after the Comet Temple-Tuttle, the source of the stream, traveled through the inner solar system on its 33.5 year orbit from the outer reaches of the solar system. The comet traveled through our "neighborhood" again four years ago, and we hope that the storm will appear again. It was something of a "dud" last year at our site, maybe this time fate will smile on us.

The party will be at Fairfield Elementary School at the intersection of Road 32 and Road 96. Take Russell Blvd (Road 32) west 4 miles beyond the Highway 113 overpass until you come to Road 96. Watch for the "school crossing" sign; the school is on the right side corner. There is a big grassy area for chairs and blankets and an area of asphalt for telescopes, etc.

What to Do There? You don't need a computer or a telescope or a beeper or your cellular phone. You needn't make a sound. Maybe you will want to just lie on your blanket, soak up some starlight, leave without saving anything to anyone--it's OK!. Or maybe this occasion would be a great opportunity to invite a friend to watch for "shooting stars." This is about the most low-key low-tech way imaginable to "learn" about the sky

What to Bring? There are some items you'll want to bring with you to observe regardless of where you decide to do your observing. Binoculars are optional; but please remember: warm clothes, something relaxing to sit or lie on that will protect you from the heavy dew, mosquito or gnat repellant, a flashlight in a paper bag or with a red filter (to keep lights dim). A warm non-alcoholic drink can be helpful (alcohol will cause drowsiness and reduce visual acuity) If you are joining us at Fairfield School please remember that the school's restrooms are not available.

How to watch? Try to lay or sit so that you can see as much of the unobstructed sky as possible-the direction you are facing is irrelevant. The darker the sky, the more meteors you will see.

Whether or not you can make the party, set your alarm clock for the pre-dawn hours of Saturday and Sunday November 17th and 18th, if only to briefly "check out" the sky. You wouldn't want to miss a storm that has produced as many as 150,000 meteors per hour.
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November Skies in Davis. Two full moons grace the month - - but only if you use eastern standard time. The first full Moon occurs November 1 at 12:41 a.m. Eastern Standard time, and the second occurs on the 30th at 3:49 p.m. Of course, the time of the first full moon here in the Pacific time zone is 9:41 p.m., October 31 (Halloween). This month, look for Mars in the southwest at first dark, and Saturn and Jupiter rising in the east northeast around 7:00 p.m and 9:00 p.m. respectively.

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No Meeting in December due to the traditional chaos involving schedules (principally my own)