The Leonids meteor shower is here. Here’s why it could be even more impressive than usual
The Leonids meteor shower will soon light up the night sky. Astrophysicist Jonathan Blazek explains the ins and outs of this spectacular event and how to catch a glimpse of it.
Stargazers rejoice: The Leonids are here.
This annual meteor shower lights up the night sky every November and will soon peak on Nov. 16 and 17. Although they happen every year, the Leonids provide undeniably dramatic views and a glimpse into what makes meteor showers so impressive.
For those hoping to catch a glimpse of the Leonids, Jonathan Blazek, an assistant professor of physics at Northeastern University, said it’s helpful to know what exactly they are and where they come from.
Generally speaking, meteor showers are made up of debris left behind by orbiting comets. That material, which comets shed as they pass by the sun and heat up, follows the same orbit as the comet it originated from. It creates a path of debris that eventually intersects and collides with Earth.
“This debris is typically quite small, from roughly a grain of sand to a small rock, and it burns up as it enters the atmosphere, leaving a bright trail that we see as a ‘shooting star,’” Blazek said. “Because of our regular orbit, we experience each meteor shower at the same time each year.”
The Leonids meteor shower is made of material left behind by the comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, which completes its orbit around the sun every 33 years. They get their name from their constellation of origin, in this case Leo, Blazek said.
Meteor rates during the Leonids can be as low as three meteors per hour, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Although the meteor rates are low, the Leonids are known for being bright and sometimes even colorful. Traveling about 44 miles per second, they are also some of the fastest meteors.
The Leonids provide particularly dramatic views because of their fireballs and Earth-grazer meteors, according to NASA. Fireballs are brighter, larger explosions that last longer in the night sky than the average meteor streak. Aptly named Earth-grazers travel close to the horizon and leave behind long, colorful tails.
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Outside of its regular features, the Leonids meteor shower also has one other claim to fame.
“Every 30 years or so, they produce what is known as a ‘meteor storm’ when we pass through a particularly dense clump of material from the comet,” Blazek said.
Meteor storms are much more intense and involve at least 1,000 meteors falling per hour. The Leonids put on a particularly spectacular show in 1966 when thousands of meteors fell in just 15 minutes. Since the last Leonid meteor storm was in 2002, this year’s event will just be a meteor shower, Blazek explained.
As for where and how to spot the Leonids meteor shower, Blazek advised following the usual rules around finding a dark spot as far from city lights as possible.
The most meteor activity will occur between midnight and sunrise when we are facing the same direction as the motion of the Earth on its orbit,” Blazek said.
This year, stargazers hoping to glimpse the Leonids are also in luck. According to the American Meteor Society, a waning crescent moon will rise late and leave those prime Leonid viewing hours dark for a little bit longer.
