Preparing for the Leonids Spectacle: Tips for Witnessing November's Riveting Meteor Shower
Pieces of an ancient comet will pass through our atmosphere this month, leading to one of the more popular annual meteor displays, known for its brightness and vibrant colors.
This year, the Leonid meteor shower will dance across Earth's skies from November 3 to December 2, reaching its climax on November 18 around 1 a.m. ET, as per EarthSky. It might be beneficial to keep an eye out for meteors and fiery bolides lighting up the night sky from November 17 until the break of dawn the next day.
To get the best viewing experience of the meteor shower, begin scanning the heavens post-midnight, with the optimal observation period occurring just before sunrise. You don't need to face a specific direction as the Leonids can be seen from all parts of the sky. In fact, it's better to view the Leonids away from its radiant, or the point in the sky from where they appear to radiate. In this instance, the meteor shower's radiant point is the constellation of Leo, but if you focus on it, the meteors will seem shorter, so it might be a good idea to look in a different direction to capture all of the Leonids in their full, radiant glory.
You don't need a telescope or binoculars to observe the Leonids. To ensure ideal viewing conditions, go to the darkest location possible, possibly a rooftop if you reside in a city like New York to escape bright lights.
Unfortunately, this year's Leonids meteor shower will have to compete with the bright moonlight. This month, the full Moon will reach its fullest illumination on November 15, just as the meteor shower is preparing to showcase its fireballs. The Leonids will peak with a waning gibbous Moon in the night sky, making it slightly more challenging to spot the meteors.
The Leonids produce brilliant fireballs and Earth-grazing meteors that can be quite colorful. Fireballs originate from larger chunks of material, resulting in bigger explosions of light and color that last longer than an average meteor streak. Earth-grazing meteors often display long and colorful tails when they approach the horizon. The meteors are also rapid, darting across the skies at speeds of 44 miles (71 kilometers) per second, according to NASA, making the Leonids one of the fastest meteor showers.
Meteor showers are fragments of comets and asteroids that pass by Earth. As comets draw near the Sun, their dusty material forms a tail that follows them on their orbit. Each year, Earth's orbit places the planet in a position to cross the path of this debris trail. Some of the dust interacts with Earth's atmosphere and disintegrates, resulting in fiery streaks across our skies.
The Leonids originate from Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, which orbits the Sun every 33 years. Ernst Tempel and Horace Tuttle discovered the comet, which measures approximately 2.24 miles (3.6 kilometers) in diameter, in 1865 and 1866. Every 33 years or so, when the shower happens at the same time that the comet is closest to the Sun during its orbit, sky watchers are treated to a Leonids storm. As the comet hurdles through the inner solar system, closest to our host star, new sets of comet particles shed off, turning into extended streaks of light.
During the peak of a Leonids storm, viewers can witness hundreds to thousands of meteors per hour. The last meteor storm occurred in 2002, resulting in 500 to 1,000 meteors per hour. Although a meteor storm probably won't occur this year, the Leonids are still assured to put on a noteworthy display. Therefore, it will be worthwhile to stay up and take in the night sky.
The upcoming Leonid meteor shower might offer an exciting glimpse into the future of space exploration, as advances in science and technology could potentially enable us to predict and even intercept such cosmic events more accurately. Furthermore, the study of these meteors could further our understanding of the universe and the origin of comets, such as Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle.
As we gaze at the vibrant colors and spectacular displays of the Leonids this November, let's also remember that our future in space depends on our continued investment in science and technology, allowing us to unravel the mysteries of the universe and prepare for encounters with celestial bodies like Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle.
