ENGRAVING BY ADOLF VOLLMY FROM A PAINTING MADE FROM A DESCRIPTION OF THE LEONIDS METEOR SHOWER IN 1833
As we move towards the middle of November the waning of the moon and darker night sky in Spain (it was a full moon on the 10th and will be a new moon on the 25th) will give a clearer view of the stars and planets here. The recent spell of fine weather here in La Drova (near Gandia, Valencia) together with the changing of the clocks has provided some excellent opportunities to look at the heavens at less anti-social hours.
Certainly, from areas with less light pollution and without an urban haze the early winter night sky in Spain has been spectacular in recent weeks.
Jupiter is still by far the brightest object in the Spanish southern night sky, apart from the moon, and can easily be seen with the naked eye. With a pair of binoculars and a steady hand the larger moons of Jupiter are also visible.
GANYMEDE ONE OF THE LARGEST OF JUPITER'S MOONS
Jupiter has 64 confirmed moons but only four are easily seen by the amateur astronomer. The four largest and most visible are the Galiean moons of Ganymede, Calista, Lo and Europa and all were discovered by the Italian Galileo Galilei in 1609 -10. Ganymede, named after the cupbearer of the Gods and Zeus’s lover in Greek mythology, is the ninth largest object in our solar system after our sun and seven of the planets. If your hands shake when trying to see the moons (or any other object in the Spanish night sky) rest your binoculars on an upturned household broom for greater stability.
From late at night on Thursday November 17th through until dawn on the 18th the Leonids meteor shower should be visible from Spain. Historically the Leonids have produced some of the greatest meteor showers in history with the one in 1966 producing thousands of “shooting stars” in an hour. These major storms happen in a cycle of every 33 to 34 years so unfortunately this year (2011) will produce only about 20 to 30 meteors per hour.
The Leonid meteor shower should be visible in the Spanish night sky from just after midnight on the 17-18th and will be at its most productive just before dawn on the 18th. Unfortunately the radiant point in the sky from which the stars will seem to appear – in the constellation of Leo, hence the name - is quite close to the waning but still bright last quarter moon.
SHOOTING STARS (Courtesy of NASA)
Incidentally, the constellation of Leo is so called because the informal group of stars was thought by the ancients to represent a lion’s head. From Spain at this time of the year it is in the eastern sky and, to see the shooting stars: look towards the moon and before dawn towards the faint rising sun.
Shooting stars or, more correctly, meteor showers are seen when the earth passes through a stream of particles left by a comet and, in the case of the Leonid meteor shower it is debris from the comet Temple-Tuttle. The size of the debris which causes the shooting star effect is tiny and around the size of a pea! The debris is produced when frozen gases evaporate the particles from the comet under the heat of the sun.
So, wrap up well early on Friday the 18th, hope for a clear night sky in Spain and – most off all – have patience!
Good luck and enjoy a terrific display from the Leonids meteor shower!
Iain Henderson - Culture Spain
Iain lives in Spain, was a professional soldier and is a businessman who has lived in many different parts of the world. His lovely villa in Valencia, Spain is available for rent during the summer months.