While the peak of an ongoing Leonid meteor shower occurred early this morning, it is still possible to see it through the end of the month, especially in rural areas with little light.
Every November, the Earth passes through debris trails from the Tempel-Tuttle comet, a small space object measuring 2.24 miles across, according to NASA. When pieces of this debris interact with the Earth’s atmosphere they then disintegrate to “create fiery and colorful streaks in the sky,” known as the Leonid meteor shower.
It takes Tempel-Tuttle 33 years to orbit the sun once and every 33 years there is a Leonid meteor storm rather than a shower, during which it can look like meteors are falling like rain. The last Leonid metoer storm happened in 2002 and it is expected again in 2031.
During storms, there are at least 1,000 meteors per hour.
During a regular shower, there are around 10 to 15. This year’s shower runs from Nov. 6 to Nov. 30.
As this year’s shower peaked during the early morning hours Wednesday the moon was in a waxing gibbous phase, lighting up the sky for most of the night, said EarthSky. Unfortunately, this made viewing conditions for the Leonid storm less than ideal.
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“You can try watching for the meteors in moonlight,” according to EarthSky. “You won’t see as many as you would in a year with no moon. But you might see a particularly bright Leonid or two streaking across the sky.”
For the best chance to catch a sight of these meteors, EarthSky recommends getting to a place away from city lights, where most of the stars are visible in the sky. City dwellers can try city, state or national parks.
Most of these comets are spotted after midnight and until dawn. EarthSky recommends friends gather for viewing parties so people can keep an eye on different parts of the sky. Sky gazers could focus on the area near the Leo the Lion constellation, as the meteors radiate out from the area of the stars that make up Leo’s mane, but these meteors could pop up in any part of the sky.
“Come prepared for winter temperatures with a sleeping bag, blanket or lawn chair,” said NASA. “Orient yourself with your feet towards east, lie flat on your back, and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible.”
Binoculars or a telescope may also help view the meteors.
According to EarthSky, two more meteor showers are expected this year: the Geminids and Ursids, both in December.
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