Leonids from the Road

Sometimes you just have to stop and watch the meteors . In the early morning hours of November 18, a band of eleven people searched for a flat and cloudless site to see the 2001 Leonids Meteor Shower . Starting in central Iowa , weather satellite images indicated that southern Minnesota might be their best chance, and so off they drove. Although they couldn't shake off all of the clouds, they found a dark gravel road, pulled off, and settled in for the rare celestial light show . “By about 4 am, we were visually counting 1000 per hour. After that they started to increase dramatically.” The photographer was just a little too late to catch a really bright fireball , but did catch several other bright Leonid meteors above one of the cars in the convoy. The exposure lasted a few minutes. News: APOD is now also available in Spanish .