MAYON'S CRATER GLOW GROWS MORE
INTENSE / METEOR SHOWER FOR 2 DAYS
[PHOTO
AT LEFT - Mayon Volcano’s crater glow Saturday night was visible as far
as 15 kilometers away. EDD GUMBAN]
LEGAZPI CITY, NOVEMBER 17, 2009 (STAR) By Cet Dematera - After spewing ash at least thrice last Wednesday, Mayon Volcano emitted a crater glow that grew more intense and was visible as far as 15 kilometers away the other night.
Ed Laguerta, resident volcanologist here of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), said Mayon’s surface remains inflated despite the series of ash or phreatic explosions.
“This means that magmatic pressure inside the volcano is sustained. But all these activities are still within alert level 2,” Laguerta said in a radio interview.
He dismissed reports that Mayon is now gradually going back to normal due to fewer volcanic quakes detected after the ash explosions.
At least eight tremors were recorded in the past 24 hours, while the volcano’s sulfur dioxide emission was measured at 514 tons, way above the normal volume of 500 tons per day.
At least 700 families from Barangays Miisi and Bañadero in Daraga town have been evacuated and provided relief aid. Residents within a radius of six to seven kilometers from Mayon’s crater have been readied for evacuation should the situation worsen.
Meteor shower to light up skies for two days (The Philippine Star) Updated November 17, 2009 12:00 AM
MANILA, Philippines - A “prolific” meteor shower is expected to light up the skies of Asia and Europe for two days – tonight (Nov. 17) and Wednesday (Nov. 18), the government-run weather bureau Pagasa said yesterday.
Here in the Philippines, Pagasa administrator Prisco Nilo said Filipinos will get a glimpse of the meteorological phenomenon known as the “Leonids” meteor shower between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. of the following day.
“We have a very good chance to see the meteor showers,” Nilo said.
He, however, stressed that people in the Visayas and Mindanao will have a difficult time seeing the meteor showers because of the intertropical convergence zone which is expected to bring scattered rainshowers this week.
According to a NASA statement, “The Leonids meteor shower is created by bits of debris left behind by the repeat passages through the inner solar system of comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. This year, it may produce another enhanced return, with Zenithal Hourly Rates (ZHRs) predicted to peak at more than 40 meteors per hour according to independent theoretical work by Astronomers David Asher, Esko Lyytinen and Marku Nissinen, Mikhail Maslov, and Jérémie Vaubaillon.”
“There are several streams and this year, the Earth will pass through one of the streams laid down in the year 1466. Most astronomers did not expect it to produce much, but observers in Asia and Europe may see as many as 100 meteors per hour, which shows the 1466 stream is rich in meteor-producing debris. This year our planet will pass through this stream again, but this time closer to its center where more material will slam into our atmosphere. The meteoroids, typically the size of a sand grain, vaporizes as it travels downward in the atmosphere. Some pea-sized objects create dramatic fireballs,” the statement added – Dennis Carcamo