Would this be referred to as a "Taurid affair"? ;) Doh! Quoting Canopus56 <canopus56@yahoo.com>:
--- 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)
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