Each November, there’s a implausible occasion for bringing folks collectively: that’s proper, the Leonid meteor bathe. It would peak within the night time sky this weekend, and that is how one can optimize your view of the present.
The Leonids’ mild trails seem to return from the constellation Leo, therefore their identify, however the meteors truly seem throughout the night time sky. The meteors come from the comparatively small comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, found by Tempel and Tuttle in 1865 and 1866, respectively. The comet’s nucleus is simply 2.24 miles (3.6 kilometers) throughout, and it orbits the Solar as soon as each 33 years.
Although the Leonids are energetic for a couple of month—from November 3 to December 2, this 12 months—their peak is usually in mid-November. This 12 months, the height is anticipated to happen simply previous midnight on November 18. The moon is a waxing crescent and can set simply previous 8:00 p.m. ET, so it is not going to hinder observers’ views of the bathe.
The present can include about 15 meteors per hour at its slowest, however their fee might be extra frequent. Roughly each 33 years—the comet’s orbital interval, if you happen to’re paying consideration—the Leonid bathe turns into a storm, with a whole bunch to 1000’s of meteors seen to the keen-eyed observer.
The final Leonid meteor storm was in 2002, so don’t anticipate one other storm for at the least one other decade. According to ESA, probably the most memorable Leonid storm occurred in 1833, when “tens of 1000’s” of meteors appeared over North America.
Leonid meteors have a velocity of about 44 miles per second, according to NASA. Their trails might be bluish or inexperienced, and might go away vapor trails within the sky that final minutes.
In line with NASA, the Leonids are greatest seen after midnight, in a darkish space removed from ‘skyglow’ and other light pollution that may make faint objects in area nigh inconceivable to see. It’s greatest to look away from the radiant—the purpose from which the meteors seem to originate—to view them, attributable to foreshortening (a visible impact that makes objects seem shorter than they’re when seen from sure angles).
The Leonid bathe will final till daybreak, so that you’ll have a number of hours to catch a glimpse of the meteors. Leonid meteors might be fireballs—brilliant, longer-lasting flashes of coloration within the sky—and Earth-grazers, or streaks of sunshine with lengthy tails that seem nearer to the horizon. So preserve your eyes peeled for each varieties, and cross your fingers for a colourful present.
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