Peak of Leonid Meteor โขShower Arrives This Weekend, Offering Chance of ‘Fireballs‘ and Northern Lights
Theโฃ Leonid meteorโ shower will peak in the early hours of Monday, November 17, potentially bringing up tooโ 15 “shooting stars” per hour to the night sky. A G1 geomagnetic storm forecasted by NOAA for late Sunday and/or โคearlyโค Monday โขmay also โcreate conditions for viewing the Northernโ Lightsโ in northern U.S. states.
The Leonids occurโ eachโ November as Earth passes through debrisโฃ trails left by comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. Active from November 6 through November 30, the shower is most visible when it’s radiant constellation, Leo, is highestโค in the eastern sky – between 2 โฃa.m. and dawn.
Exceptionally dark skies are โคexpected during peak hours thanks to an 8%-lit waning crescent moon setting early Monday, providing nearly ideal viewing conditions, weather permitting.
Leonid meteors are among the fastest, entering โthe atmosphere at approximately 44โ miles (70 kilometers) per second.This speed often results in bright meteors, โsometimes leaving persistent trails called “fireballs.”
Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle orbits the โฃsun every 33 years. earth may encounter larger debris fields when the comet nears the sun โขagain in 2032-2033, potentially causing “meteor storms.”
