The annual Leonid meteor shower will peak in the early morning hours of Monday (November 17). If you’re prepared to wake up early (or stay up late), you might be able to spot up to 15 meteors per hour in the moonless night sky.
The Leonid meteor shower will be active from November 6th to 30th, but the evening peak, when Earth passes through the densest part of the meteor shower, will occur between midnight and dawn on November 17th.
This year’s Leonid meteor shower will provide one of the best viewing windows in recent years, thanks to a nearly moonless night. According to the American Meteor Society, the waning crescent moon (which provides only 9% of the illumination) rises late in the day before dawn, so there is no moonlight during the best viewing hours.
you may like
Leonid meteors are known for their speed, hitting Earth’s atmosphere at about 44 miles per second (70 kilometers per second). This speed often produces bright meteors or fireballs, some of which leave a lasting mark.
The Leonid meteor shower is caused by tiny particles from comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle burning up in the atmosphere and producing meteors. The comet orbits the sun every 33 years and is scheduled to return to the inner solar system in 2031.
Historically, the Leonid meteor shower is known for producing dramatic meteor storms. These rare phenomena, in which the number of meteors exceeds 1,000 per hour, were recorded in 1833, 1866, 1966, 1999, 2001, and 2002. The 1966 Leonids meteor shower is considered the best in recorded history. NASA said so many meteors were observed in a 15-minute period that it looked like it was raining. However, no encounters with dense debris are expected this year, so a meteor storm is unlikely.
For the best experience, head outside between 2 a.m. and dawn on November 17th. Find a spot away from city lights, lie down with a wide view of the sky, and wait about 20 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the darkness.
The Leonid meteor shower appears radiating from the constellation Leonid, rising in the eastern sky just after midnight. However, meteors can be seen anywhere in the sky, and using stargazing binoculars or a telescope can help you spot them. Because Leo is located on the celestial equator, this meteor shower is equally easy to see in both hemispheres.
The next largest meteor shower after the Leonid meteor shower is the Geminid meteor shower, which is the most numerous meteor shower this year. Approximately 140 “shooting stars” can be seen per hour during this event, which peaks on December 13th and 14th.
Source link
