Report from Paradise (ie Guam)

[Guest guest]

For all those who think that a trip to the Western Pacific would be a trip

to paradise, the latest issue of Science News Weekly has an advertisement

for an expedition to Guam to see the world's greatest meteor storm. It's

supposed to be from Nov 14 - 20. For more info check out

Eclipse Edge Expeditions

P.O. Box 15186

Chevy Chase, MD 20825

http://eclipseedge.org

Looks interesting. This includes Sally from Kansas and all others who

wonder about life on a Pacific island. However I should note that we are

completing six straight days of rain without sun. A tropical storm has

stalled north and west of here. In addition two years ago there was

supposed to be a great meteor shower also. I got up early and went down to

the beach to look out over the East. Nothing, even with the clear sky.

Last year it was overcast the whole time the meteor shower was supposed to

be happening. Actually this much rain is highly unusual and November is

often the start of the best season on Guam. All the astronomical types

should plan on signing up.

Jim and Peg

********************************

*** Peg & Jim

*** # 29 Cruz Heights

*** Ipan-Talofofo, Guam 96930-4736

*** USA

***

*** Note: Guam is 15 hours ahead of

*** Eastern Standard Time (EST).

*** 14 ahead of EDT.

********************************

[Guest guest]

Jim,

And NOW, the rest of the story - Hey Jim - the cost is well over $2000 per

person ) (double occupancy).

Think we will pass ) Meteor showers are great sights however. I saw one in

the early 60's in Alpena, MI at Air National Guard summer camp in August, I

think.

Take care, Bill and Charlotte

[Guest guest]

Doug,

It is a local travel agency for you and me - midway between us ) I was

wondering about using a telescope to look at a meteor shower as an individual

meteor only lasts a few seconds usually - no time to locate with a

telescope. From my experience with meteor showers, 4 or 5 an hour is a great

show.

Hey Jim, how many meteors have you seen? You don't have all the city lights

to contend with and the ocean has no lights to speak of. The last two meteor

showers we had here were during cloudy nghts, so we did not see them.

If you are going to a south seas island ) there are other sights anyway )

take care, Bill and Charlotte

doug_in_gbmd@... wrote:

> I'm very skeptical of their prediction of a Leonid meteor

> storm this November. Conventional wisdom in the astronomical

> community is that we already passed through the densest part

> of the Leonid swarm 2-3 years ago.

>

> Their astronomical consultant, Dr Van Flandern, has quite a

> reputation as a nonconventional thinker, a fringe theorist

> if you will. Some years ago he was noted for exploring

> some ideas that had long been discarded for example, the

> exploded planet hypothesis for the origin of the asteroid

> belt. At that time, he seemed to be using sound science

> and had not published any outlandish conclusions.

>

> Some of the folks I know have expressed the opinion that

> in recent years Dr Van Flandern has moved from eccentricity

> to crackpottery.

>

> Suffice it to say that I suspect that Eclipse Edge Expeditions

> prediction of a Leonid storm visible from Guam this November

> is more likely to be motivated by a desire to sell tickets

> than by any new astronomical findings.

>

>

> > Jim,

> >

> > And NOW, the rest of the story - Hey Jim - the cost is well over

> $2000 per

> > person ) (double occupancy).

> >

> > Think we will pass ) Meteor showers are great sights however. I

> saw one in

> > the early 60's in Alpena, MI at Air National Guard summer camp in

> August, I

> > think.

> >

> > Take care, Bill and Charlotte

>

> If you do not wish to belong to shydrager, you may

> unsubscribe by sending a blank email to

>

> shydrager-unsubscribe

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Doug,

It is a local travel agency for you and me - midway between us ) I was

wondering about using a telescope to look at a meteor shower as an individual

meteor only lasts a few seconds usually - no time to locate with a

telescope. From my experience with meteor showers, 4 or 5 an hour is a great

show.

Hey Jim, how many meteors have you seen? You don't have all the city lights

to contend with and the ocean has no lights to speak of. The last two meteor

showers we had here were during cloudy nghts, so we did not see them.

If you are going to a south seas island ) there are other sights anyway )

take care, Bill and Charlotte

doug_in_gbmd@... wrote:

> I'm very skeptical of their prediction of a Leonid meteor

> storm this November. Conventional wisdom in the astronomical

> community is that we already passed through the densest part

> of the Leonid swarm 2-3 years ago.

>

> Their astronomical consultant, Dr Van Flandern, has quite a

> reputation as a nonconventional thinker, a fringe theorist

> if you will. Some years ago he was noted for exploring

> some ideas that had long been discarded for example, the

> exploded planet hypothesis for the origin of the asteroid

> belt. At that time, he seemed to be using sound science

> and had not published any outlandish conclusions.

>

> Some of the folks I know have expressed the opinion that

> in recent years Dr Van Flandern has moved from eccentricity

> to crackpottery.

>

> Suffice it to say that I suspect that Eclipse Edge Expeditions

> prediction of a Leonid storm visible from Guam this November

> is more likely to be motivated by a desire to sell tickets

> than by any new astronomical findings.

>

>

> > Jim,

> >

> > And NOW, the rest of the story - Hey Jim - the cost is well over

> $2000 per

> > person ) (double occupancy).

> >

> > Think we will pass ) Meteor showers are great sights however. I

> saw one in

> > the early 60's in Alpena, MI at Air National Guard summer camp in

> August, I

> > think.

> >

> > Take care, Bill and Charlotte

>

> If you do not wish to belong to shydrager, you may

> unsubscribe by sending a blank email to

>

> shydrager-unsubscribe

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Yes and so is the Meta-research group. I've never met Dr Van

Flandern but I am familiar with his, er, reputation.

People who observe a lot through telescopes (alas I no longer

do) will on rare occaisions see meteor pass through their

field of view. It's happened to me twice so far in 32 years.

Yes, meteors move too fast, too far accross the sky and

are too unpredictible as to exactly where the next will

appear to easily spotted and tracked in a telescope.

However, during showers the shower meteors radiate from

a single point in the sky, called the radiant. I have

heard of people pointing a scope (or better, binoculars)

at that point and watching. That way they see meteors

that are coming straight toward them, called point meteors.

In dark skies if you watch continuously you should

see 4 or 5 meteors/hour (called sporadics as they are

not associated with any specific shower) on an average

night. During showers you should see an additional

5-50 meteors.

Meteor storms (especially high rates) occur when

the Earth passes though an especially dense cluster

of meteroids, as when the Earth passed through the

tail of Comet Halley in 1910.

Meteor storms are very hard to predict because you

can't observe the meteoroid swarms except for when

the Earth is passing through them. That's like

predicitng precipitation by going outside to see if

it's raining.

> Doug,

>

> It is a local travel agency for you and me - midway between us )

I was

> wondering about using a telescope to look at a meteor shower as an

individual

> meteor only lasts a few seconds usually - no time to locate with a

> telescope. From my experience with meteor showers, 4 or 5 an hour

is a great

> show.

>

> Hey Jim, how many meteors have you seen? You don't have all the

city lights

> to contend with and the ocean has no lights to speak of. The last

two meteor

> showers we had here were during cloudy nghts, so we did not see

them.

>

> If you are going to a south seas island ) there are other sights

anyway )

>

> take care, Bill and Charlotte

>

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Yes and so is the Meta-research group. I've never met Dr Van

Flandern but I am familiar with his, er, reputation.

People who observe a lot through telescopes (alas I no longer

do) will on rare occaisions see meteor pass through their

field of view. It's happened to me twice so far in 32 years.

Yes, meteors move too fast, too far accross the sky and

are too unpredictible as to exactly where the next will

appear to easily spotted and tracked in a telescope.

However, during showers the shower meteors radiate from

a single point in the sky, called the radiant. I have

heard of people pointing a scope (or better, binoculars)

at that point and watching. That way they see meteors

that are coming straight toward them, called point meteors.

In dark skies if you watch continuously you should

see 4 or 5 meteors/hour (called sporadics as they are

not associated with any specific shower) on an average

night. During showers you should see an additional

5-50 meteors.

Meteor storms (especially high rates) occur when

the Earth passes though an especially dense cluster

of meteroids, as when the Earth passed through the

tail of Comet Halley in 1910.

Meteor storms are very hard to predict because you

can't observe the meteoroid swarms except for when

the Earth is passing through them. That's like

predicitng precipitation by going outside to see if

it's raining.

> Doug,

>

> It is a local travel agency for you and me - midway between us )

I was

> wondering about using a telescope to look at a meteor shower as an

individual

> meteor only lasts a few seconds usually - no time to locate with a

> telescope. From my experience with meteor showers, 4 or 5 an hour

is a great

> show.

>

> Hey Jim, how many meteors have you seen? You don't have all the

city lights

> to contend with and the ocean has no lights to speak of. The last

two meteor

> showers we had here were during cloudy nghts, so we did not see

them.

>

> If you are going to a south seas island ) there are other sights

anyway )

>

> take care, Bill and Charlotte

>

> >

> >