November 1999 StarDial & Leonids Alert
Jehana

Mon Nov  8 20:19:48 1999
The November StarDial: *p**br*First, our biggie coming up is the Leonid meteor shower.  It is predicted to be not quite as spectacular *br*as last year's, but this means little -- it could surprise us yet.  Plus, even if it is not quite up *br*to last year's par, it could still be quite worthwhile -- especially if you missed it last year *br*due to cloud cover or a need (shame on you!!!) for sleep.  *p*Your best bet is to observe the skies for three nights -- from the late night of the 16th through the *br*early morning of the 19th of this month.  Last year, the best show was about 16 hours before the *br*predicted time...  Anyhow, although the quarter moon's light may interfere somewhat, large *br*meteors should still be quite spectacular.  Bring out your hi-test caffeine, preferrably in a *br*warm format, and look mostly towards the east, in the general vicinity of the constellation of *br*Leo. (There are times I wish I could blast away the hillside that faces my eastern view, but at *br*least all the trees will be bare of leaves...) *p**br*  Nov 01, 1948  The Eclipse Comet only 2 degrees from the Sun and*br*observed during totality in Nairobi, Kenya.  Photographed by R. d' E.*br*Atkinson.  After, the comet was observed till April 3, 1949 in the southern*br*hemisphere.*p*  Nov 02 - Asteroid 1999 TW16 Near-Earth Flyby (0.154 AU - Astronomical Units, the average *br*distance of the Earth to the Sun)*p*  Nov 03 - Taurids Meteor Shower Peak*br*  Nov 03 - Asteroid 1990 SS Near-Earth Flyby (0.356 AU)*br*  Nov 03, 1994  Total solar eclipse observed with success by most*br*observers in Chili and Bolivia.*br*  Nov 03, 2013  Annular-total solar eclipse which will be annular in the*br*beginning and total for the rest of the path.  Between 1898 and 2510, there*br*are only a few cases:  3 November 2013, 17 October 2172 and 29 April 2386.*br*(Ref. Canon of Solar Eclipses by Meeus, Grossjean*br*and Vanderleen p. 76)*p*  Nov 04 - Asteroid 1999 TC5 Near-Earth Flyby (0.377 AU)*p*  Nov 06 - Saturn At Opposition*p*  Nov 07 - Dark Moon at 10:53 pm, EST (Eastern Standard Time)*br*  Nov 07 - Comet Mueller 3 Closest Approach To Earth (2.281 AU)*p*  Nov 08, 1656  Edmond Halley (1656-1742 or 1743) born on November 08,*br*1656.  Famous for his comet but also for his first observations on Baily's*br*beads.  The Royal Society also mentioned 29 October 1656.  (Ref. Royal Society 1999)*p*  Nov 09 - Comet C/1999 S3 (LINEAR) Perihelion (1.894 AU)*p*  Nov 11 - The Moon is at apogee (furtherest point from Earth this lunar cycle) at 12:32 am, EST.*p*  Nov 12 - Asteroid 8176 (1991 WA) Closest Approach To Earth (0.476 AU)*br*  Nov 12, 1966  On November 12 th 1966 total solar eclipse, Gemini 12*br*astronauts Lovell and Aldrin saw the eclipse from orbit and they saw the*br*moon shadow on earth surface. For them totality lasted only 6 sec.*br*Lift-off of Titan booster have been syncronized in order to intercept that*br*total eclipse that was visible from south America. (Ref. Pierre Arpin 7/98)*p*  Nov 13 - Moon Occults Mars (3 degrees north), 11 am, EST.*p*  Nov 14 - Globalstar-6 Soyuz Launch*br*  Nov 14 - Moon Occults Neptune*p*  Nov 14 - 30th Anniversary (1969), Apollo 12 Launch*p*  Nov 15 - Mercury Transits The Sun*br*  Nov 15 - Moon Occults Uranus*p*  Nov 16 - Asteroid 1999 TD5 Near-Earth Flyby (0.221 AU)*br*  Nov 16 - First quarter Moon at 4:03 am, EST.*p*  Nov 17 - Leonids Meteor Shower Peak (Potential Meteor Storm)*p*  Nov 19 - Mercury At Perihelion*p*  Nov 20 - Edwin Hubble's 110th Birthday (1889)*br*  Nov 20 - Moon passes 4 degrees north of Jupiter at 5 pm, EST.*p*  Nov 21 - That busy Moon passes 3 degrees south of Saturn at 8 pm, EST.*p*  Nov 22 - Asteroid 1989 VA Near-Earth Flyby (0.194 AU)*br*  Nov 22 - Asteroid 3753 Cruithne Near-Earth Flyby (0.317 AU)  Cruithne, eh????  Picts in Space????*br*  Nov 22 - Asteroid 1998 YW3 Near-Earth Flyby (0.397 AU)*p*  Nov 23 - Full Moon at 2:04 EST.*br*  Nov 23 - Moon at perigee (closest point to Earth in its lunar cycle) at 4:55 pm EST.  *br*  Nov 23 - The Moon goes on to pass 1.3 degrees north of the star Aldebaran at 5 pm, EST.  *p*  Nov 25 - Mars At Perihelion at 8 am, EST -- this is the point when it is closest to the Sun in *br*its own cycle.  *p*  Nov 26 - Galileo, Io 25 Flyby*p*  Nov 27 - Comet C/1997 BA6 (Spacewatch) Perihelion (3.436 AU)*p*  Nov 28 - Asteroid 1999 UM3 Closest Approach To Earth (0.475 AU)*p*  Nov 29 - It's the last quarter Moon, at 6:18 pm, EST.*p**p*References:*p*Astronomy Magazine:  *br*http://www.astronomy.com*p*Space Calendar:*br*http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/calendar*p*Solar Eclipse Newsletter:  *br*http://www.MrEclipse.com*p**p**br*