Skywatchers around the world may have the chance to witness a celestial spectacle this week, when the annual Leonid meteor shower reach its peak.
According to EarthSky, the Leonids should reach their peak at 3pm (Brasília time) this Monday (17). It is possible to start seeing meteors from 1 am, when the constellation Leo appears on the horizon.
However, the best time to observe is just before sunrise, according to Robert Lunsford, bolide reporting coordinator for the American Meteor Society.
“Unlike many other meteor showers, the Leonids have a very defined peak,” says Lunsford, adding that there is only one good night for observation.
Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, responsible for the Leonids, is the reason for this short duration. Because the debris trail is small, the Earth passes through it in a short period.
The meteors visible around 1 a.m. Monday will be sky-grazing, Lunsford explains, meaning they will last longer than normal and cross a large portion of the sky. “But we won’t see as many because much of the Leonid activity will be occurring below the horizon,” he added.
Under favorable weather conditions, you can expect 10 to 15 meteors per hour.
Rains and storms
Although a meteor shower is expected this year, the Leonids are known for occasionally producing impressive meteor storms, with at least 1,000 meteors per hour.
The last Leonid meteor storm occurred in 2002. However, one of the most memorable storms happened in 1966, when “we passed right through the center of one of the Leonid streams and rates were estimated at 40 meteors per second,” says Lunsford.
This storm had such intense meteoric activity in the sky that the meteors appeared to fall like rain.
The high meteoric activity coincides with the moment when comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle reaches perihelion — its closest point to the Sun in its orbit.
The comet takes 33 years to orbit the Sun, so the largest Leonid meteor showers — and sometimes storms — tend to occur approximately every 33 years.
For a storm to occur, Earth must pass through a dense piece of comet debris during perihelion, but sometimes our planet just touches the edges.
The next shower that will coincide with the comet’s orbital cycle will occur in 2033, but it is not expected to be a storm, according to Lunsford. “We may see rates of about 100 meteors per hour, which is comparable to the Geminids,” he says, “but we certainly don’t expect storms that show 1,000 meteors per hour.”
Upcoming meteor showers
Here are the peak dates of the last two meteor showers predicted for this year, according to the American Meteor Society and EarthSky.
- Geminids: December 13-14
- Ursids: December 21-22
Next supermoon
Keep an eye out for the last super full moon this year.
