Understanding the Leonid Meteor Storms Understanding the Leonid Meteor Storms Welcome to the Web site on the Leonid meteoroid storms of November 1998 and 1999. This site provides information on the storms that are associated with the appearance of the comet Tempel-Tuttle. The meteor activities the comet precipitates are called Leonids because the meteors appear to originate from the constellation Leo. Understanding the 1998 and 1999 events is important because of the effect they might have on the estimated 650 satellites on orbit. The Aerospace Corporation collected information on spacecraft anomalies experienced during the 1997 and 1998 Leonid showers and will be gathering similar information on the 1999 storm.
Illustration shows satellite solar panels oriented edge-on to the meteoroid stream.
View the 279k QuickTime format . View the 971k mpeg format . High resolution View the 4.8mb QuickTime format . View the 2.1mb mpeg format . The Aerospace Corporation.