--- Joe Bauman <bau@desnews.com> wrote:
Hi friends, here's an interesting item from NASA. I told the lady who called about the email comments and this article, and she suggested I write a short item. I think I will, because it's kind of interesting. Best wishes, Joe <snip>
The source of the Taurids is Comet 2P/Encke. Kronk's Page on Comet 2P/Encke http://cometography.com/pcomets/002p.html Wikipedia on Encke http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_Encke Last passage of Comet Encke was on: 0.26 AU from Earth on 2003 November 17 which probably explains why this year's Taurids have some good fireballs. NASA's Near Earth Object program has a simulation generator that renders illustrations of comet orbits by typing in the number, e.g. "2P" or "55P". http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/orbits/ Recall that in Nov. 2001, there was a particularly strong Leonid shower - pretty close to a storm - following the passage of it's parent comet, Comet 55P Temple-Tuttle. http://www.spaceweather.com/meteors/gallery_18nov01_page2.html http://www.mreclipse.com/Meteors/Leo01/Stolovy.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonids - Canopus56(Kurt) __________________________________ Yahoo! Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005 http://mail.yahoo.com