Watch Out For Fireballs From The Leonid Meteor Shower This Week - Eyes On The Skies

One of the most famous of the annual meteor displays is due to reach its peak on November 17-18. The Leonid meteor shower. The meteor shower can be seen by viewers from both hemispheres. The Leonids are fast and bright meteors and can also be colorful. They travel at speeds of 44 miles (71 kilimeters) per second. Leonids are also known for their fireballs and earthgrazer meteors. The pieces of space debris that interact with our atmosphere to create the Leonids originate from comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. It takes comet Tempel-Tuttle 33 years to orbit the sun once. Its nucleus measures about miles (3.6 kilometers) across. From midnight to dawn on November 17-18, watch for meteors in the annual Leonid meteor shower. In 2023, first quarter moon falls on November 20, so there wil be very little interference from moonlight this year. The meteors are expected to fall most abundantly in the dark hours before dawn on Saturday, November 18. At the shower’s peak, you might see as many as 15 to 20 meteors per hour. The Leonids produced meteor storms of hundreds to thousands of meteors per hour at the peak each year from 1998 to 2002. An amazing night in 1966, the meteors were falling like rain. This year (1966) was the last major Leonid meteor storm, when many in North America saw 100,000 shooting stars per hour. In 1833, the Leonid meteor shower, said to have produced from 100,000 to 200,000 meteors per hour! Meteors in annual showers get their names from the point in the starry sky from which they appear to radiate. This shower’s name comes from the constellation Leo the Lion, because these meteors radiate outward from the vicinity of stars representing the Lion’s Mane. You should not look only to the constelation of Leo to view the Leonids, they are visible throughout the night sky. For best viewing results, find an area well away from city or street lights. Clear Skies Everyone! #Leonids #meteorshower #meteorsfireballs Images credit: NASA/JPL, nemesis maturity channel Music credit: YouTube Audio Library Blue Macaw - Quincas Moreira