Meteor Mania

For the second year in a row, the Leonid meteor shower contributes to our list of top images. True, this year’s version of the annual shower did not generate the flashy fireballs of years past, and overall its meteors were dimmer than last year.

But no skywatching event all year generated as much awe to inspire the masses. Some people were thrilled to see the Leonids at storm level for a second or third time. Others missed the 2001 event and were brought to tears by this year’s version.

Jay Ouellet put seven photos together, taken over
45 minutes from Canada, for this memorable
impression of the faint but frequent 2002 Leonids.
Leonid Photo Gallery | Leonids from Above

For anyone who watched the event, the images bring back warm memories of a very cold morning when the sky opened up, fire rained down, and the cosmos put us in our collective place for a few precious moments.

The Leonids, for many people, is what 2002 will be remembered for.

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