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Observatory Programs |
See the Leonid Meteor Shower! |
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Every year between November 14 and 20, the Earth collides with debris from Comet Tempel-Tuttle. This debris falls through the atmosphere and becomes the Leonid Meteor Shower, so named because the meteors appear to originate from the mane of the lion of the constellation Leo. Most years, the showers are not very spectacular and only a few meteors are spotted. Every 33 to 34 years, however, the Comet Tempel-Tuttle crosses the Earth's orbit leaving behind a fresh supply of debris. In the years immediately following the passing of the comet, much greater activity is seen and in some cases meteor storms have occurred. What can we expect this year?This year, the same experts (astronomers from Armagh Observatory in Northern Ireland) that correctly predicted both the spectacular showers over the Middle East in 1999 and the rather unspectacular showing last year are predicting a great show this year over Australia and Asia and a better-than-average showing over the Americas. This year, we pass through both the stream from the 1699 and 1866 passes of the parent comet, Tempel-Tuttle. The most recent storm was in 1966, where meteors appeared at a rate of 10,000 meteors per hour. Predictions for this year are much more sedate, but since the moon will not be a factor, observers even in the US may still be able to see around 100 meteors an hour. However, meteor counts are difficult to predict, so be prepared for anything! If you are interested in counting meteors for the International Meteor Organization, Sky & Telescope provides these instructions. When and where?The best time for observing meteors is usually right after midnight on the night of Nov. 17-18. However, this time around, the peak should be best at just about 5 AM on Sunday the 18th. The chances of seeing meteors are naturally better if you can get away from the glare of city lights. If you don't have a lot of time to spend traveling out of the city, you can head to the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center just off of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway near Goddard Space Flight Center. For even darker skies, you can drive an hour or two to the Shenandoah Valley. 
Image credit: Science@Nasa Last Updated: Wednesday April 23, 2008 by Elizabeth Warner |
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