The SETI Observer

November 15, 2002

	Voices: Peter Jenniskens
	Best of Seth
	Space.com's SETI Thursday
	AAS Annual Meeting
	SETI Challenge
	Last Month's Challenge
Leonids Meteor Storm image credit A. Scott Murrell

Dear SETI Enthusiasts:

Weather is a local phenomenon that makes us remember how small and fragile we humans are. How many of us have huddled up to a window in our cozy houses during winter storms, pressed our nose to a cold pane of glass, and counted seconds between each peal of thunder and crack of lightening?

In a few days, the Earth will pass through the trail of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle and the dusty debris will light the night sky with showers of meteors. The Leonid Meteor shower is the kind of celestial display that can take your breath away as you marvel at the grandeur of the cosmos. Astronomy is compelling science; it can also be incredibly beautiful.

At the SETI Institute, scientists study meteors and other rocks from space. Just as they study interstellar ice, atmospheres of distant moons—and radio signals that bathe our planet.

Shortly after the Leonids storm passes, our Project Phoenix team will be huddling around computer monitors in the control room of the world’s largest telescope in Arecibo Puerto Rico. Our dedicated SETI scientists will spend Thanksgiving sifting through the noise in search of that possible signal evidencing an extraterrestrial civilization. You can peer over their shoulders back home on your own computer screen as SETIcam opens a window into our Fall SETI observing session.

What’s out there, how does it all work? Are we alone? I am filled with gratitude and wonder to live in a time when we have the technology to probe these questions. I invite you now to follow the links in this issue of the SETI Observer.

Sincerely,
Thomas Pierson
CEO, SETI Institute


	Voices: Peter Jenniskens

Early next week, Dr. Peter Jenniskens and a team of 44 scientists will board a pair of aircraft that will chase the dusty trail of Comet Tempe Tuttle across the night skies. This year’s annual Leonid meteor shower will be studied in detail by Jenniskens' team while offering a two-part spectacle for those of us on terra firma. Hear and read more about Jenniskens' meteor shower mission, and meet this scientist from the SETI Institute’s Center for the Study of Life in the Universe in the most recent edition of Voices.

Best of Seth

Two years ago, one of the best spots on Earth for viewing the annual Leonid meteor shower was in Tunisia. In November, 2000 SETI Institute Senior Astronomer Seth Shostak led a group of travelers into the desert for an unforgettable evening of stargazing in an exotic setting. Seth returned with photos of carpets, camels and sun-drenched sandstone, and a first-rate report of his experience.

Space.com's SETI Thursday

SETI Institute Director of Education, Edna DeVore offers more information about Jenniskens’ Leonid MAC mission this week on SPACE.com’s SETI Thursday.

AAS Annual Meeting

Last chance to sign up for AAS Annual Meeting
If you missed the World Space Congress in Houston—or attended but left wanting more, you can still hear from scientists and leaders in the Aerospace Industry. November 19-21, the American Astronautical Society holds its annual meeting in Sunnyvale, California. Focusing on new technology and space exploration, the three-day conference features presentations by (among others) noted physicist and author Paul Davies, planet hunter Geoff Marcy, and the SETI Institute’s Dr. Frank Drake. TeamSETI members attend at the AAS member price. Visit www.astronautical.org for more information.

SETI Challenge

Be one of the first five to answer the following question correctly and get a cool SETI Institute t-shirt. We'll post the answer in next month's e-newsletter. Choose the phrase that best completes this statement and send your answer to newsletter@seti.org.

The Leonids’ meteor shower is:

a rare celestial phenomena that can be observed only by professional astronomers using airborne observing equipment.
a party for expectant lions.
caused by solar winds.
an annual celestial phenomena that will be intense this year and will offer amateur astronomers an opportunity to record data that is useful to professional astronomers.

Last Month's Challenge: Did you answer correctly?

Last month we asked readers to pick the phrase that most accurately completed this statement:

The work of Dr. Emma Bakes:

uses computers to analyze SETI signals
models complex chemistry in computer simulations that complement the laboratory experiments of her colleagues.
relies upon convection ovens pre-heated to 350 degrees.
focuses primarily upon the practice of space medicine.

The correct answer is "B"

Watch for another thought provoking question in next month's e-newsletter.

Email:newsletter@seti.org