Leonids from Montebello

by Rich Neuschaefer

There were several bright meteors and quite a few quick, moderately bright ones. The peak seemed to be from about 2:40 am to 3:00 am. At one point there several in a few seconds.

The sky was clear from about 1:00 am until I left at 3:40 am. With one exception of a brief patch of clouds about 2:00 am.

By 2:30 am there were maybe 30 cars around the edge of the MB parking lot. Most cars had two or more people. Quite a few people walked in from Page Mill Rd. So, there was a good sized crowd at MB. No problems. I think everyone had a good time watching the night sky.

There was an adult beginning astronomy class having a little star party. The instructor was showing quite a few objects before 2am. There were at least half a dozen scopes at MB last night. There was one 18 incher, an 11 inch SCT, an 8 inch SCT, a 5 inch refractor (was out only for a few hours) and a few others.