Encore: Leonid meteor shower continues into Friday night
A brief but intense outburst of meteors is possible on Friday night, although it will likely fall short of the historic Leonid meteor storms of the 1800s.
This year, astronomers say the peak of the Leonids might over-perform with rates up to 200 meteors per hour.
One of the most famous meteor showers in recent history will take place this week, and while it might not live up to its historical reputation, it could end up being one of the best astronomy events of the year.
The Leonid meteor shower, the third and final such event of the month, peaked Thursday night into early Friday morning but will continue into the first half of the weekend.
The Northern Taurids and Southern Taurids peaked earlier in the month, combining for only a few meteors per hour, including incredibly bright fireballs that glowed brighter than the moon. The Leonids are not known for fireballs but rather for the sheer quantity of meteors that race through the night sky.
During a typical year, the Leonids bring around 15 shooting stars per hour on peak night. This year has the potential to break from tradition with rates nearly 10 times higher than normal.
Dozens of meteors streak across the sky in this composite image, captured in the Heilongjiang province of China. (Jeff Dai/Stocktrek Images)
The Leonids are famous for producing jaw-dropping meteor storms with thousands of meteors per minute reported in past events in 1833, 1866, 1966, 1999 and 2001. These meteor storms happen when the Earth encounters a fresh trail of debris from a comet identified as 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, producing a celestial light show more akin to a scene from a sci-fi movie than reality.
A full-blown meteor storm is unlikely to unfold this week, but a small outburst is a possibility. According to the American Meteor Society (AMS), meteor experts Mikhail Maslov and Mikiya Sato have run calculations and believe that the Earth could plow through an older debris trail from comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle.
Onlookers could see anywhere from 50 to 200 meteors per hour if the calculations made by Maslov and Sato are correct. They added that the height of the activity could be brief, taking place Saturday, Nov. 19, between 1 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. EST.
Predicting the peak rates during a brief but intense meteor shower can be more complicated than predicting the weather on Earth, so although the outburst is not a guarantee, all signs are pointing toward this year being a good year for the Leonids, at least from an astronomical perspective.
For the best chance of seeing the potential outburst, it is recommended to head outside at least an hour beforehand in the event that it takes place earlier than expected.
Meteors associated with the Leonids are often bright, meaning that some shooting stars could be visible in areas closer to big cities, but for the best chance at seeing meteors, it is recommended to travel to a dark away from human-created light pollution.
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After the peak of the Leonids, skywatchers will have to wait until mid-December for the next opportunity to watch a meteor shower unfold in the night sky.
The peak of the Geminids will unfold on Tuesday, Dec. 13, into the early hours of Wednesday, Dec. 14. This is typically one of the best meteor showers of the entire year with up to 100 to 150 meteors per hour possible when viewed from a dark area. However, 2022 could be a bad year for the Geminids because a nearly full moon will wash out many of the dimmer meteors on the night of the peak.
After the Geminids, there are only two more meteor showers in the near future. The Ursids will peak on Dec. 21-22 and the Quadrantids will do the same on Jan. 3-4. After these events, stargazers will have to wait until the end of April for the chance to see a meteor shower.
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