Leonid meteor shower observed in Joshua Tree National Park, California in 2001
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This year’s Leonid meteor shower will peak on the nights of November 17th and 18th. The Leonid meteor shower is a particularly exciting meteor shower known for its bright, fast-moving meteors. On November 17th, the moon will be partially bright, reaching 19 percent of its maximum brightness, so there’s a good chance you’ll spot it from anywhere in the world.
What is a meteor shower?
Meteors, or shooting stars, are bright flashes of light that streak across the sky, appearing out of nowhere and disappearing within seconds. They are caused by space debris, usually about the size of a grain of rice, entering Earth’s atmosphere and burning up, and can occur at any time of the year. Certain meteor showers occur around the same time every year. At that time, Earth’s orbit guides us through a cloud of debris, usually the remains of a comet.
Why are they called the Leonid meteor shower?
The Leonid meteor shower is named after the constellation in which it appears to originate, in this case Leonid, but it is actually a fragment of Comet Tempel-Tuttle, also known as 55P. generated by
How can I see the Leonids meteor shower?
The best time to watch is after midnight. Find a sunny place and look up at the sky. The meteor appears to come from the constellation Leo. You can find it by looking at the plow or the Big Dipper. Look for his two stars at the far end of the plow handle. These are known as pointer stars because if you draw a line from the bottom of the plow to the top, it points to the North Star, the North Star. To find Leo, follow the line through the pointer stars in the opposite direction until you reach the question mark-shaped group of stars that forms the lion’s head. That said, you don’t need to look at any particular constellation, as meteors travel across the sky in all directions.
How many meteors can you see?
The longer you look, the more likely you are to spot a meteor. At the peak of the Leonid meteor shower, it is estimated that about 15 meteors will appear per hour. If you’re lucky, you might even find a fireball. These are produced by large pieces of debris, appear much brighter than regular meteors, remain visible for a little longer, and often have a visible tail behind them.
Can you see Comet Tempel-Tuttle?
The Leonid meteor shower occurs every year, but Comet Tempel-Tuttle will not be visible this year. That’s because it takes about 33 years to orbit the sun, and it spends most of that time far away from Earth. When the comet is closest to Earth, the Leonid meteor shower is not just a meteor shower, but a condition known as a meteor storm in which more than 1,000 meteors can be seen per hour. The last Leonid meteor shower was in 1996, so we will have to wait until 2029 for the next one.
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