Tag: Leonid

Huffington Post Reports – Leonid Meteor Shower 2013

Leonid Meteor Shower 2013: How To See ‘Shooting Stars’ This Weekend

The Huffington Post  By

Get ready to see some “shooting stars” this weekend, skywatchers.

The 2013 Leonid meteor shower is expected to be visible from Nov. 16 through Nov. 18. Weather permitting, observers around the world should be able to see the brightest “Leonids” streak across the sky from Saturday night through Sunday morning. The Northern Hemisphere will be treated to the prime show, as it has the best view of the constellation Leo, from which the meteor shower derives its name.

Unfortunately, this year’s Leonid meteor shower will not be as visible as the show has been in the past years. Since the moon turns full on Nov. 17 — in the midst of the shower — only the brightest of the meteors will be apparent to most watchers. For some, the “shooting stars” may not be detectable at all.  Read More…

We Are Having A Dazzling Meteor Shower No One Is Talking About, Check It Out…

Observing the Leonids

The Leonid meteor shower has produced some of the most spectacular meteor displays in history, but it is unfortunately periodic in nature.

The Leonids generally begin on November 13 and end on November 21, with maximum generally occurring during the night of Novemer 17/18. The Leonids are barely detectable on the beginning and ending dates, but observers are generally treated to displays of about 10 meteors per hour on the night of maximum. About every 33 years, the Leonids enter a phase of enhanced activity that accompanies the return of its parent comet. During these periods, rates can amount to hundreds and even thousands of meteors per hour. The last such enhanced period occurred during the period of 1998-2002 and the Leonids have been winding down ever since.

Apparently these meteors have been studied since way back in the 1800’s. I have provided a link that contains the full article and also the page has a Southern Hemisphere & Northern Hemisphere chart to find the shower.

Meteor Showers Online

Astronomy Picture of the Day for Jan. 8th{Beautiful}

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

A Sirius Leonid Meteor
Credit & Copyright: Wally Pacholka  

Explanation: In the sky or on the web, have you seen this year’s Leonid meteor shower? If you have, a bright meteor flashing through the night sky should be a familiar sight. Recorded last year during the 1998 apparation of the Leonids, this time-exposure of the sky around the constellation Canis Major (big dog) shows the trail of a spectacular fireball meteor. The meteor, by chance, seems to leap from the constellation’s brightest star Sirius, near the top right. In the foreground is the beautiful desert scenery of Joshua Tree National Park. Reports of bright meteors from this year’s Leonids are already wide-spread, with the 1999 shower predicted to peak around 0200 UTC on November 18 at rates of several hundred to thousands of meteors per hour. Awe inspiring as they are, the Leonids pose no danger to earthbound skywatchers.