The Great Leonid Meteor Storms

Every 33 years, the comet responsible for the Leonid meteor shower returns to the inner solar system, and makes a passage directly across the Earth's orbit on November 17. For a few years, it's possible to see truely spectacular storms, with over a thousand meteors per hour coming out of the sky. In 2000, the storm came, over Australia. In 2001, the show came to California. Astro 9 did an expedition to the Mojave Desert - Red Rock Canyon State Park - to get away from the lights of the city and get better odds of a clear sky. It was a spectacular show and we got some great shots. This was still during the "film era" and I confess that even my own shots haven't made it to digital form yet. They're buried in drawers of slide boxes. BUT - their are a few shots which have made it to this page - enjoy! Some day, another meteor storm will come...