Leonid star dust is set to dazzle this weekend
Be sure to keep an eye to the sky this weekend: The peak of the Leonid meteor shower— an annual mid-November treat — will be visible across the night sky late Friday night and early Saturday morning.
The Leonids appear to be coming from the constellation Leo the Lion (hence their name) in the east, but they should be visible all the way across the sky. Some of the greatest meteor showers ever seen have been the Leonids. Some years, they’ve been a full-fledged meteor storm: The 1833 Leonid meteor storm included rates as high as an amazing 100,000 meteors per hour, Earthsky.org said.
No such storm is forecast this year, though: Viewers should see an hourly rate of 10 to 20 meteors.
Also known as “shooting stars,” the meteors are in fact leftover comet dust. They’re tiny pea- and sand-size bits of dust and debris crumbling off the Tempel-Tuttle comet as it swings by the Earth. (Earth’s orbit takes it straight through the debris trail.) The dust and debris ignite when it hits our atmosphere.
As with most meteor showers, the best time to watch the Leonids is usually between the hours of midnight and dawn, according to Earthsky.org.
David Samuhel, a meteorologist and astronomy blogger at AccuWeather, said people should dedicate at least an hour to viewing the meteor shower.
“Do not look at any light source during that hour like a phone, flashlight or any type of screen,” he said. “Your eyes will gradually adjust by a half hour, then you will have perfect night vision. You also want to lay as flat as possible so you can see as much of the sky as possible.”
As for the weather, it’s a mixed bag. The best viewing conditions should be in the Southwest, the Rockies and the Southeast coast, AccuWeather said.