November 26, 2000
On the day you were born, the universe was already ancient beyond measure — and yet, in all those billions of years, it had never once...
Leonids Above Torre de la Guaita
Birthday · November 26, 2000
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APOD published November 26, 2000. Credit: Juan Carlos Casado. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
Last year, the 1999 Leonids Meteor Shower came to a tremendous crescendo. Observers in Europe observed a sharp peak in the number of meteors visible around 0210 UTC during the early morning hours of November 18. Meteor counts then exceeded 1000 per hour - the minimum needed to define a true meteor storm. At other times and from other locations around the world, observers typically reported respectable rates of between 30 and 100 meteors per hour. This year, the 2000 Leonids were somewhat less impressive, although many astronomers hold much hope for the Leonids in 2001 and 2002. The above photograph is a 20-minute exposure ending just before the main Leonids peak of 1999 began. Visible are at least five Leonids meteors streaking high above the Torre de la Guaita, an observation tower used during the 12th century in Gorina, Spain.
Image credit: Juan Carlos Casado