"Chuva de estrelas" no Japão e outros países
Meteoros do fenômeno conhecido como Leônidas parecem cair sobre a Terra como "chuva de estrelas", embora estejam apenas riscando o céu sobre o Monte Fuji, no Japão. A fotografia foi tirada na madrugada desta segunda-feira, 19/11/01. 

A chuva de "Leônidas" acontece em cada mês de novembro, quando a Terra passa próximo do véu de matéria deixado pelo Cometa Tempel-Tuttle, que completa sua órbita a cada 33 anos. Estas partículas se chamam "Leônidas" porque parecem surgir da constelação de Leo e seus fragmentos são muito pequenos, em sua maioria não maiores que um grão de arroz.
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Two bright Leonid Meteors are shown shooting across the sky near Ayers Rock in central Australia in the early hours of Monday Nov. 19, 2001. The photo was taken on time exposure using a fish-eye lens. (AP Photo/Vic Winter) Click for Large Photo
1 of 15		 Leonids meteors are seen streaking through the sky in Muju county, 300 kilometers, southwest of Seoul, South Korea Monday, Nov. 19, 2001. (AP Photo/Yonhap) Click for Large Photo
2 of 15		 A brilliant Leonid meteor lights up the desert sky under the bright star Sirus early Sunday morning, Nov. 18, 2001, from Joshua Tree National Park, near Twentynine Palms, Calif. (AP Photo/Wally Pacholka) Click for Large Photo
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A brilliant Leonid meteor streaks between the Pleides (7 sisters) and Taurus the Bull early Sunday morning, Nov. 18, 2001, above Joshua Tree National Park near Twentynine Palms, Calif., about 5 a.m., during the Leonid meteor show as the Earth passes through a debris field left by a passing comet. (AP Photo/Wally Pacholka) Click for Large Photo
4 of 15		 Meteors shower across the night sky over Prachinburi province, 95 kilometers (59 miles) east of Bangkok early Monday, Nov. 19, 2001. The Leonid meteor shower was the biggest seen in Asia for decades. People all over Thailand, except in the cloudy southern part of the country, were able to see the rare phenomenon. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) Click for Large Photo
5 of 15		 Leonid meteors are seen streaking across the sky over snow-capped Mount Fuji, Japan's highest mountain, early Monday Nov. 19, 2001, in this 7-minute exposure photo. Star gazers braved cold temperatures at the foot of Mount Fuji to observe the shower of Leonid meteors. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye) Click for Large Photo
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Star gazers are looking for the leonid shower in Sydney, Australia, Monday, Nov. 19, 2001. This year's shower was expected to be particularly impressive, with as many as 4,000 meteors per hour visible to those in the best, darkest locations. However, heavy clouds and rain throughout most of eastern and central Australia ruled out any chance of sighting the meteors. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith) Click for Large Photo
7 of 15		 A child looks at stars through a telescope during an overnight stargazing event called 2001 Science Night at a youth training center in Lee Cheon, 50 kilometers (31 miles), northeast of Seoul, Monday, Nov. 19, 2001. More than 1,000 stargazers came to see the Leonid meteor shower that occurs every 33 years. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) Click for Large Photo
8 of 15		 A Leonid meteor is seen streaking across the sky over snow-capped Mount Fuji, Japan's highest mountain, early Monday Nov. 19, 2001, in this about 7-minute long exposure photo. Star gazers braved cold temperatures at the foot of Mount Fuji to observe the shower of Leonid meteors. A cloud hangs over the mountain. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye) Click for Large Photo
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A pair of Leonid meteors streak through the sky over Joshua Tree National Park, Calif., looking to the south in the Southern California desert in this approximately 5-minute time exposure ending at 3:20 a.m. PST (11:20 UT) Sunday, Nov. 18, 2001. Stars and planets appear as short concentric lines. The Leonid shower occurs each November, when the Earth's orbit takes it through a trail of dust particles left by the Comet Tempel-Tuttle, which swings around the sun once every 33 years. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon) Click for Large Photo
10 of 15		 Japanese astronomy enthusiasts look up at the sky to observe the Leonid meteor shower from the slopes of Mt. Fuji in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of Tokyo, early Monday morning, Nov. 19, 2001. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye) Click for Large Photo
11 of 15		 Several Leonids meteors are seen streaking through the sky over Joshua Tree National Park, Calif., looking to the south in the Southern California desert in this approximately 25-minute time exposure ending at 3:45 a.m. PST (11:45 UT) Sunday, Nov. 18, 2001. Two are visable at center, one partly hidden behind a Joshua tree branch. Two more faint meteors are just above the scrub brush at lower right, and two other faint meteors appear at top and center left.. The Leonid shower occurs each November, whenthe Earth's orbit takes it through a trail of dust particles left by the Comet Tempel-Tuttle, which swings around the sun once every 33 years. The horizontal streaks are stars and or planets. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon) Click for Large Photo
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The Leonids meteor shower provided an exciting eastern sky over Monpelier and Barre, Vermont, on Sunday morning, Nov. 18, 2001, in Fayston, Vt. The Leonids are minute dust particles shed by Comet Tempel-Tuttle. The meteors are called Leonids because they appear to come from the direction of the constellation Leo the Lion. (AP Photo/Mike Riddell) Click for Large Photo
13 of 15		 A meteor streaks through the sky over Joshua Tree National Monument in the Southern California desert, one of hundreds seen in the early morning hours of Sunday, Nov. 18, 2001. The meteor's fiery entry into Earth's atmosphere takes just about a second in this time exposure of one minute, causing slight blurring of the stars in the sky. This year's much-anticipated Leonids shower delighted people around the world who stayed up late or woke up early to see it. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon) Click for Large Photo
14 of 15		 The most spectacular Leonid meteor storm in 35 years is forecast for November 18, 2001 in the Americas and Monday in Asia and Australia as Earth passes near centuries-old debris left by comet Tempel-Tuttle. The celestial storm could affect some satellites orbiting close to earth, so NASA scientists are making sure their spacecraft stay out of harm's way. (Reuters Graphic) Click for Large Photo
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