In the predawn hours tomorrow, November 17th, keep your eye on the sky. The annual arrival of the Leonid meteor shower is scheduled to peak in North America sometime between 3:30 and 5:30 Eastern time. While the display is a yearly event, this year’s shower is expected to be especially impressive thanks to the limited amount of moonlight interference (the new moon was last night).
The Leonid meteor shower is an annual event for me. Every night I’ll roll out of bed, wander outside in my coat, and watch the skies for a few minutes or longer (if it’s not too cold). Then, satisfied with my galactic light show, I’ll trundle back inside and return to bed.
The Leonid meteor shower originates from the tail of the 55P/Tempel-Tuttle comet, first discovered in 1865 and 1866 by Ernst Temple and Horace Tuttle, respectively. This year’s display is expected to be particularly strong, despite the comet’s distance from earth, due to the planet’s passing through the comet’s left-behind rubble. It’s the prettiest space junk light show you’ll ever see (that isn’t astronaut pee).
Tags: meteor shower, Leonid meteor shower, astronomy, sky-watching, 55P/Tempel-Tuttle asteroid, light show in the sky