Leonid dust trail positions in 1833

The Leonid meteor storm of 1833 (JPEG, 340k) was so remarkable that it is widely accepted as causing the development of modern meteor astronomy. The diagram demonstrates that it occurred when the Earth passed through the dense Leonid dust trail that had been generated around the 1800 return of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. The timing, Nov 13.4 UT, shows that the meteor storm was observable from America. A fuller explanation of these trail cross section plots is available. Go to Armagh Observatory Leonid page.

Last Revised: 2009 November 10th