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CNN Live At Daybreak

Shower in the Skies: Leonid Meteor Shower

Aired November 19, 2002 - 05:44   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: If you've ever wanted to wish upon a falling star, now is the time to do it. Experts say there won't be another Leonid Meteor Shower, like the one going on right now, in our lifetime.
CNN's Ann Kellan has been watching it for several hours now, as has Chad. She's at the Hard Labor Creek Observatory in Rutledge, Georgia.

And, Ann, Chad isn't seeing much.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Not in Atlanta.

ANN KELLAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well I -- well you know, it's interesting, because every time -- there must be a TV god out there, because every time we're coming on, the clouds sort of clear here and we do get a glimpse at some shooting stars. So we're having a little luck out here. And it is quite a sight to behold because you see them and they just streak across the sky.

COSTELLO: Show us.

KELLAN: It's the -- I know it's so -- I know it's so hard to, but it's such a big sky, you know. It's hard to go into cameras when they go. It's just very difficult.

MYERS: What is this, Montana? This isn't big sky country. This is Atlanta.

(LAUGHTER)

KELLAN: What do you want from us?

I'm with Georgia State University Astronomy Professor Todd Henry who has been watching these for years. And this is -- this is sort of a sad moment because we're in the peak for the next what, four minutes, five minutes?

TODD HENRY, ASTRONOMY PROFESSOR, GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY: We've got a few more minutes left to go and that's the best it's going to be for this shower, at least for almost 100 years.

KELLAN: A hundred years. So I mean if you don't go out right now and check the skies where you are, you're missing a bet, right?

HENRY: You should definitely run outside. If you're watching TV now, I don't want to take you away from CNN, but go look outside the door right now.

KELLAN: Just really quickly if the sky is clear.

Now what we're seeing there is basically comet dust, right?

HENRY: Right. There's dust coming in along the path of a comet that has gone by, and that dust is hitting the upper atmosphere of the Earth. And the little streams of light you see are actually the dust particles exciting the atoms in the atmosphere, and they're cascading down and releasing photons that you can see with your eyes.

KELLAN: And it's just the size of a grain of sand, really?

HENRY: Most of them are that size or even smaller.

KELLAN: And that's what we're wishing upon these...

HENRY: Yes, that's right.

KELLAN: ... shooting stars, right?

HENRY: That's right.

KELLAN: Right. So you've made a lot of wishes here tonight.

HENRY: Absolutely and I hope they all come true for all of us.

KELLAN: That's right. So get outside, if you can, and look up because Leonid Meteor Shower is only minutes away from...

HENRY: Being over.

KELLAN: ... going away for 100 years.

HENRY: That's right.

KELLAN: I know, it's so sad.

COSTELLO: How many...

KELLAN: So if you can get out,...

COSTELLO: How many...

KELLAN: ... check...

COSTELLO: How many crazy people are out there with you -- Ann?

KELLAN: Well let's see, one, two. We have about what, 30, 20? Yes, 20 to 30 people, and they have been out all night camping out with blankets and coffee and doughnuts and their -- they know. They've set themselves up well here.

MYERS: That's funny.

KELLAN: It's a little chilly, but it's actually not bad. HENRY: Yes. No, this is...

KELLAN: I'm sure there are a lot of people up north that are really shivering.

HENRY: Astronomers are used to the cold and we're used to being patient when we have to be so.

KELLAN: Yes, so when the clouds come over...

HENRY: That's right, we got a break tonight, so that was good.

KELLAN: I know, that was great, and we got to see a little bit. So it is fun. And you hear everybody oohs and ahs, you know. What are we missing?

COSTELLO: Awe, well that's awesome.

KELLAN: Yes, we're having a good time out here.

COSTELLO: Well we're going to try to get some tape back in of those meteor showers that you supposedly have captured, Ann. Thank you for...

KELLAN: We'll go back and shoot some while -- when we can.

COSTELLO: OK, thank you, Ann.

MYERS: All right, thank you.

KELLAN: Have fun guys.

MYERS: All right.

COSTELLO: You too.

KELLAN: OK.

COSTELLO: Hey, we just got an e-mail from someone in North Carolina, Tim, who says they're looking pretty good there.

MYERS: Good. Yes, it's all about the clear skies.

COSTELLO: What part? Winston-Salem.

MYERS: Even though we have the full moon out there right now with the clear skies, if you can get out there this morning, literally for the next couple of minutes, the peak is very sharp.

I mean we -- when we fly through the tail of the comet, the peak, if you can go to the Web site and look at it, the NASA Web site, you go -- it goes from about 1,000 per hour to 6,000 per hour and then back down again. And that -- literally that window of that peak up there was only about 15 minutes long. So we're in it now, we're ending now. But I remember this time last year I was sitting in a rented convertible in Key West with the seats reclined looking up at Leonid Meteor Shower.

COSTELLO: Now that's the way to do it.

MYERS: That was the way, yes.

COSTELLO: Oh yes.

MYERS: It's good stuff.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired November 19, 2002 - 05:44   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: If you've ever wanted to wish upon a falling star, now is the time to do it. Experts say there won't be another Leonid Meteor Shower, like the one going on right now, in our lifetime.
CNN's Ann Kellan has been watching it for several hours now, as has Chad. She's at the Hard Labor Creek Observatory in Rutledge, Georgia.

And, Ann, Chad isn't seeing much.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Not in Atlanta.

ANN KELLAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well I -- well you know, it's interesting, because every time -- there must be a TV god out there, because every time we're coming on, the clouds sort of clear here and we do get a glimpse at some shooting stars. So we're having a little luck out here. And it is quite a sight to behold because you see them and they just streak across the sky.

COSTELLO: Show us.

KELLAN: It's the -- I know it's so -- I know it's so hard to, but it's such a big sky, you know. It's hard to go into cameras when they go. It's just very difficult.

MYERS: What is this, Montana? This isn't big sky country. This is Atlanta.

(LAUGHTER)

KELLAN: What do you want from us?

I'm with Georgia State University Astronomy Professor Todd Henry who has been watching these for years. And this is -- this is sort of a sad moment because we're in the peak for the next what, four minutes, five minutes?

TODD HENRY, ASTRONOMY PROFESSOR, GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY: We've got a few more minutes left to go and that's the best it's going to be for this shower, at least for almost 100 years.

KELLAN: A hundred years. So I mean if you don't go out right now and check the skies where you are, you're missing a bet, right?

HENRY: You should definitely run outside. If you're watching TV now, I don't want to take you away from CNN, but go look outside the door right now.

KELLAN: Just really quickly if the sky is clear.

Now what we're seeing there is basically comet dust, right?

HENRY: Right. There's dust coming in along the path of a comet that has gone by, and that dust is hitting the upper atmosphere of the Earth. And the little streams of light you see are actually the dust particles exciting the atoms in the atmosphere, and they're cascading down and releasing photons that you can see with your eyes.

KELLAN: And it's just the size of a grain of sand, really?

HENRY: Most of them are that size or even smaller.

KELLAN: And that's what we're wishing upon these...

HENRY: Yes, that's right.

KELLAN: ... shooting stars, right?

HENRY: That's right.

KELLAN: Right. So you've made a lot of wishes here tonight.

HENRY: Absolutely and I hope they all come true for all of us.

KELLAN: That's right. So get outside, if you can, and look up because Leonid Meteor Shower is only minutes away from...

HENRY: Being over.

KELLAN: ... going away for 100 years.

HENRY: That's right.

KELLAN: I know, it's so sad.

COSTELLO: How many...

KELLAN: So if you can get out,...

COSTELLO: How many...

KELLAN: ... check...

COSTELLO: How many crazy people are out there with you -- Ann?

KELLAN: Well let's see, one, two. We have about what, 30, 20? Yes, 20 to 30 people, and they have been out all night camping out with blankets and coffee and doughnuts and their -- they know. They've set themselves up well here.

MYERS: That's funny.

KELLAN: It's a little chilly, but it's actually not bad. HENRY: Yes. No, this is...

KELLAN: I'm sure there are a lot of people up north that are really shivering.

HENRY: Astronomers are used to the cold and we're used to being patient when we have to be so.

KELLAN: Yes, so when the clouds come over...

HENRY: That's right, we got a break tonight, so that was good.

KELLAN: I know, that was great, and we got to see a little bit. So it is fun. And you hear everybody oohs and ahs, you know. What are we missing?

COSTELLO: Awe, well that's awesome.

KELLAN: Yes, we're having a good time out here.

COSTELLO: Well we're going to try to get some tape back in of those meteor showers that you supposedly have captured, Ann. Thank you for...

KELLAN: We'll go back and shoot some while -- when we can.

COSTELLO: OK, thank you, Ann.

MYERS: All right, thank you.

KELLAN: Have fun guys.

MYERS: All right.

COSTELLO: You too.

KELLAN: OK.

COSTELLO: Hey, we just got an e-mail from someone in North Carolina, Tim, who says they're looking pretty good there.

MYERS: Good. Yes, it's all about the clear skies.

COSTELLO: What part? Winston-Salem.

MYERS: Even though we have the full moon out there right now with the clear skies, if you can get out there this morning, literally for the next couple of minutes, the peak is very sharp.

I mean we -- when we fly through the tail of the comet, the peak, if you can go to the Web site and look at it, the NASA Web site, you go -- it goes from about 1,000 per hour to 6,000 per hour and then back down again. And that -- literally that window of that peak up there was only about 15 minutes long. So we're in it now, we're ending now. But I remember this time last year I was sitting in a rented convertible in Key West with the seats reclined looking up at Leonid Meteor Shower.

COSTELLO: Now that's the way to do it.

MYERS: That was the way, yes.

COSTELLO: Oh yes.

MYERS: It's good stuff.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com