This year has been amazing for us in terms of skywatching, with several
meteor showers and planetary alignments.
And now the universe is providing once more, with an early November peak
for the
Leonid meteor shower
forecast.
The shower may be seen from most locations on Earth, and this year there
will be
very little moonlight to distort the sky, making for excellent viewing conditions.
In the early hours of Saturday morning, after midnight, viewers may
anticipate seeing
ten to fifteen meteors every hour.
What exactly is the Leonid meteor shower, and why is it important to know?
The shower happens as Earth passes through the comet Tempel-Tuttle's dust
track, and tiny debris fragments—roughly the size of a pea—burn up in our
atmosphere.
These little meteors will nevertheless offer a stunning display, even if
they may not sound as spectacular as the massive pieces of debris that
create fireballs during the
Taurid meteor shower, which occurs about this time every year.
The Leonid meteor shower is noteworthy for being among the
fastest meteor showers to ever impact Earth, with space dust particles striking our atmosphere at
a staggering
71 kilometers per second, or 44 miles per second.
The Leonid meteor shower is well-known for its ability to create meteor
storms in the past, resulting in an unparalleled quantity of comets slicing
across the sky.
People in the US southwest reported seeing up to 3,000 meteors per minute
during this amazing
spectacle in 1966.
However, these meteor storms only occur around every 33 years, which is the
same amount of time it takes for a comet to finish its cycle around the Sun.
Another meteor storm isn't expected to occur until about 2032.
The best method to see will be to leave the city, avoid areas with lamps
and stores, and give your eyes some time to acclimate.
Although they should sweep over the whole sky, the Leonids will appear to
be emanating from the Leo constellation.
