Heads up stargazers! The Leonid meteor bathe peaks tonight, bringing a flurry of taking pictures stars to the night time sky as Earth passes via the path of particles shed by comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle.
The Leonid meteor bathe is lively from Nov. 3 to Dec 2 and peaks in a single day on Nov. 16-17, when as much as 10 meteors per hour could also be seen radiating from a patch of sky within the constellation Leo, in keeping with the American Meteor Society.
What time ought to I search for the Leonids?
The most effective time to search for Leonids is late at night time on Nov. 16 via to the hours previous daybreak on Nov. 17, when the constellation Leo will likely be positioned excessive above the jap horizon, with Jupiter shining brightly to its higher proper. Search for a patch of sky roughly 40 levels above the radiant in Leo, that is roughly the width of 4 clenched fists held at arm’s size, the place the meteor trails will likely be at their longest.
Robert Lunsford is the fireball report coordinator, publication editor and treasurer on the American Meteor Society, one of many main sources of data on meteor showers.
“On the morning of November seventeenth I’d count on observers of the Leonid bathe to see 5-10 meteors per hour,” Robert Lunsford of the American Meteor Society advised Area.com in an electronic mail. “It falls off quickly, [so] I’d count on charges of solely 5 [shooting stars] per hour on the next morning and one other 50 % drop off on every of the next mornings.”
You should definitely put on heat clothes to fight the chilly and permit at the very least half-hour in your eyes to regulate absolutely to the darkish, to present your self the very best probability of recognizing fainter members of the annual bathe. Attempt to use a crimson mild if it is advisable go searching, as this may assist preserve your night time imaginative and prescient intact over a regular flashlight!
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The Leonid meteor bathe is thought for producing spectacular meteor storms once in a while, when tons of, and even hundreds of meteors might be seen brightening the night time sky every hour. Sadly, Earth is not as a consequence of go via a very dense cloud of cometary particles from 55P/Tempel-Tuttle till the yr 2099.
Wish to {photograph} a taking pictures star? Then you’ll want to take a look at our information to imaging meteor showers, together with our roundups of the greatest cameras and lenses obtainable for astrophotography in 2025.
Editor’s Word: If you need to share your meteor photographs with Area.com’s readers, then please ship your picture(s), feedback, title and placement to spacephotos@house.com.
