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The Leonids Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight!
November 15, 2023 at 03:02 PM EST
By WeatherBug Meteorologist, Alyssa Robinette
The bright, often colorful Leonids meteor shower is set to peak tonight!
The Leonids are an annual meteor shower that occurs from November 3rd to December 2nd. They are bright meteors and can also be colorful. They are also fast, traveling at speeds of 44 miles per second, and are some of the fastest meteors.
Leonids are also known for their fireballs and Earth-grazer meteors. Fireballs are larger explosions of light and color that can persist longer than the average meteor streak. This is because fireballs originate from larger particles of cometary material. Earth-grazers are meteors that streak close to the horizon and are known for their long and colorful tails.
The Leonids meteor shower is associated with the comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. The shower is produced when Earth passes through the debris of ice and dust left behind by comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle during its highly elliptical orbit around the Sun every 33 years. When Earth passes through the comet’s debris, the “comet crumbs” heat up as they enter Earth’s atmosphere and produce impressive “shooting stars” that streak across the sky.
Every 33 years or so, the shower erupts into a phenomenal meteor storm where thousands of meteors fall each hour, with the last one occurring in 2002. The next major Leonid meteor storm would likely be around 2035. Meteor storms are defined as having at least 1,000 meteors per hour.
While we won’t see a Leonid meteor storm this year, the Leonids could still put on a decent show. The Moon will be 23 percent illuminated on the date of Leonids peak so it should not interfere with viewing opportunities too much.
Meteors showers are named after the constellation from which the meteors appear to emanate, known as the radiant. From Earth’s perspective, the Leonids appear to originate from the direction of the Northern Hemisphere constellation Leo.
To find Leo, first look for the bright star Regulus and then trace the distinctive backward question mark known as “The Sickle,” which represents the lion’s mane. Don’t look directly at Leo to find meteors, as the shooting starts will be visible throughout the sky. Make sure to look around and move your graze to nearby constellations as meteors further from the radiant tend to have longer trains, or glowing trails of debris, and are easier to spot.
To see the Leonids best, go to the darkest possible location that is well away from city or street lights. Be prepared for winter temperatures with a sleeping bag, blanket or lawn chair. Orient yourself with your feet toward the east, lie flat on your back and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible. You don’t need any telescopes or binoculars as the secret to a good meteor viewing experience is to take in as much sky as possible. Make sure to allow about 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark.
The best time to look for the Leonids is between Midnight and dawn local time. Under ideal conditions (a dark sky with no moon), there should be around 10 to 15 Leonid meteors per hour this year.
Credit: Space.com, EarthSky.org, NASA
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Image: Meteors of the Leonid meteor shower that appeared near the Big Dipper in 2001. (Hina via Wikimedia Commons)
The Leonids are an annual meteor shower that occurs from November 3rd to December 2nd. They are bright meteors and can also be colorful. They are also fast, traveling at speeds of 44 miles per second, and are some of the fastest meteors.
Leonids are also known for their fireballs and Earth-grazer meteors. Fireballs are larger explosions of light and color that can persist longer than the average meteor streak. This is because fireballs originate from larger particles of cometary material. Earth-grazers are meteors that streak close to the horizon and are known for their long and colorful tails.
The Leonids meteor shower is associated with the comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. The shower is produced when Earth passes through the debris of ice and dust left behind by comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle during its highly elliptical orbit around the Sun every 33 years. When Earth passes through the comet’s debris, the “comet crumbs” heat up as they enter Earth’s atmosphere and produce impressive “shooting stars” that streak across the sky.
Every 33 years or so, the shower erupts into a phenomenal meteor storm where thousands of meteors fall each hour, with the last one occurring in 2002. The next major Leonid meteor storm would likely be around 2035. Meteor storms are defined as having at least 1,000 meteors per hour.
While we won’t see a Leonid meteor storm this year, the Leonids could still put on a decent show. The Moon will be 23 percent illuminated on the date of Leonids peak so it should not interfere with viewing opportunities too much.
Meteors showers are named after the constellation from which the meteors appear to emanate, known as the radiant. From Earth’s perspective, the Leonids appear to originate from the direction of the Northern Hemisphere constellation Leo.
To find Leo, first look for the bright star Regulus and then trace the distinctive backward question mark known as “The Sickle,” which represents the lion’s mane. Don’t look directly at Leo to find meteors, as the shooting starts will be visible throughout the sky. Make sure to look around and move your graze to nearby constellations as meteors further from the radiant tend to have longer trains, or glowing trails of debris, and are easier to spot.
To see the Leonids best, go to the darkest possible location that is well away from city or street lights. Be prepared for winter temperatures with a sleeping bag, blanket or lawn chair. Orient yourself with your feet toward the east, lie flat on your back and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible. You don’t need any telescopes or binoculars as the secret to a good meteor viewing experience is to take in as much sky as possible. Make sure to allow about 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark.
The best time to look for the Leonids is between Midnight and dawn local time. Under ideal conditions (a dark sky with no moon), there should be around 10 to 15 Leonid meteors per hour this year.
Credit: Space.com, EarthSky.org, NASA
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Image: Meteors of the Leonid meteor shower that appeared near the Big Dipper in 2001. (Hina via Wikimedia Commons)