Nov. 17 - Leonid Meteor Shower

November means a return of the Leonid Meteor Shower. The shower is caused by material left behind by the relatively small Comet Tempel-Tuttle as it passed the Earth’s orbit during its regular trip through our solar system. When the Earth passes through this debris, the gas and dust flares up in the atmosphere creating meteors. The comet cycles pass us every 33 – 34 years. In years that it is close-by, the displays are spectacular. In 1833 the shower was a storm with the night sky lighting up so brightly that it woke up the most of the people in the eastern USA and promoted research into meteors. In 1966 observers calculated sightings at 144,000 per hour or one every 40 seconds. Perhaps sometime around 2031 this will happen again. But this year’s display will not be close to this rate as the debris trail is not as dense.

Because the meteors come at us from the direction of the constellation Leo, the Lion, they are called Leonid. November 17 & 18^th are the best nights to observe. The best times is between moonset (2:39AM) and sunrise. Find an area where there is very little ground light and has a good view of the southeastern sky. Stay warm and get comfortable. Using a lawn chair to recline in saves wear and tear on one’s neck. Lie back and relax as nature puts on its light show. Don’t worry; the world is not coming to an end as some thought in 1833.