The Leonid meteor shower peaks in North America overnight from Nov. 17 to 18, with fast-moving fireballs possible in US skies.
Up to 15 “shooting stars” per hour could be visible in the night sky during this week’s peak of the Leonid meteor shower.
“Meteor storms”—rare occurrences that yield more than 1,000 meteors per hour—are occasionally brought on by this yearly meteor shower. It is believed that Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, which rounds the sun every 33 Earth years, is responsible for the Leonids by leaving behind dust and debris in the inner solar system.
The American Meteor Society predicts that this year’s peak will occur soon after midnight EST on November 17–18 (05:00 UTC on Nov. 18). At the height of the Leonids, a dark sky usually shows about 15 meteors each hour.
But by then, a waning gibbous moon that is 94% lighted will have risen into the night sky. Traveling away from light pollution this year won’t help much for the Leonids because strong moonlight can make it harder to spot fainter shooting stars. Even without artificial lights, the moon’s radiance will still outshine the majority of the show.
There is a remote possibility that this year’s peak will produce a meteor storm, although it is not anticipated to do so. According to the American Meteor Society, these unexpected explosions of over 1,000 meteors occurred in 1833, 1866, 1966, 1999, 2001, and 2002 when Earth passed through ancient debris fields that 55P/Tempel-Tuttle had left in the inner solar system when the comet was close to perihelion, or its closest point to the sun. NASA predicts that the next perihelion of 55P/Tempel-Tuttle will occur in 2031. It is impossible to determine when or when a stronger show will occur, but even before that, Earth may pass through old debris fields.
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Usually, meteor showers are named for the constellation that they seem to come from. That’s Leo for the Leonids. It is a Leonid if you spot a shooting star and follow its path back to Leo. But the shooting stars of every meteor shower can be seen anywhere in the night sky.
In reality, shooting “stars” are meteoroids, which are tiny, rocky particles that collide with Earth’s atmosphere. These falling particles release energy in the form of light streaks in the night sky as they heat up and evaporate. In dark skies, they are best viewed with the unaided eye; save your binoculars for the next planetary or full moon sighting.