For skywatchers . . .

[Constance]

This is an interesting current thread at ATS concerning dozens of recent observations of two or more flashes of apparent star-like phenomena, seen from widespread geographical locations, and mostly associated with the Persiod meteor showers ending tonight. A number of possible prosaic explanations are discussed, but none quite fit what's being described.

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread871275/pg1

 

[Wade]

A nice little story on one of the more historical Leonids meteor showers. Although I have to wonder if it really was all that dramatic as the drawing would seem to indicate

Impressed by Perseids? This old pic shows a spectacle 1,000 times MORE amazing

 

[Constance]

Very curious indeed. I'd never heard of this event before. I wonder if there are any contemporary descriptions in writing by people who observed this shower.

 

[Constance]

Here are several:

""On the night of November 12-13, 1833, a tempest of falling stars broke over the Earth... The sky was scored in every direction with shining tracks and illuminated with majestic fireballs. At Boston, the frequency of meteors was estimated to be about half that of flakes of snow in an average snowstorm. Their numbers... were quite beyond counting; but as it waned, a reckoning was attempted, from which it was computed, on the basis of that much-diminished rate, that 240,000 must have been visible during the nine hours they continued to fall." - Agnes Clerkes, Victorian Astronomy Writer


"John Sharp reports on a contemporary account from the diary of Michael Shiner, Nov. 12 1833: '
The Meteors fell from the elements the 12 of November 1833 on Thursday in Washington. It frightened the people half to death.'"

Leonid MAC - History of the Leonid shower



Another exceptional storm of Leonids in 1966 inspired all this:

EYE WITNESS ACCOUNTS OF THE 1966 LEONID STORM

• Blake's poem - Dan Ihara, Deep Springs, CA
• 17th birthday on Nov 17, 1966 - Robert Gleaves, North Texas, TX
• The second shift - Cal Mowrer Jr., Richardson, TX
• Meteors streaking down at an alarming rate - Mike Jones, Shelton, Washington
• Table of important meteor showers - Bruce Weaver, Bradenton, FL
• Clouded out in Jersey - Forest Markowitz, New Jersey
• The wizzard of Oz - Pam clemmer, Kansas
• Grandfather - Alan Duniven , Venus, Texas
• Tank story - Jack Mooney, El Paso, Texas
• Crackling and sisling - Willis Jarrel, Jr. , East Texas
• Alien fireworks - Carl Kirkhuff, Wichita, KS
• Hunting trip - Jim Allen, Jacksonville, Arkansas
• Masters - C.A. Feuchter, Alamogordo, New Mexico
• Hear meteors burn up - Greg Arnquist, Seattle, Wa
• Little Boy With Dropped Jaw - Mike Strong, Austin, TX
• Rain in the Mojave Desert - Christine Downing, Pasadena, CA
• Grandmother - John W. Senner, Little Rock, AR
• I will remember... - Dag Weiser, Santa Cruz, Ca
• Paper route - G.R. Harper, Lynchburg, Va
• Drill sargeant - Fort Benning, Ga
• Proto-astronomer - Bill Keel, Univ. of Alabama
• Inside an enormous cone - Ralph Petrozello
• 13 years and counting - Peter Bias, Ohio
• Rates - Norman McLeod, Florida
• My 1966 Leonids Experience - Richard Nolthenius, Santa Cruz, CA
• Photographing a thousand meteors in 90 minutes - James W. Young,Wrightwood, California.
• The 1966 Leonids from Scotland - George Spalding, Scotland, UK
• Late getting to work - Leon Carpenter, Tatum, Texas.

Photographs from the 1966 event follow at this link:

Leonid MAC - Accounts from the 1966 Leonid storm.