This weekend is when the incredibly spectacular Leonid meteor shower will be decking the night sky. The annual shower is set to appear in the early morning hours of November 16th and 17th and, if you’re lucky, could have as many as 50 meteors per hour!
The best time to observe the Leonid meteor shower will be from around 2am to 5am local time, when the waning gibbous moon will be setting in the west. During this time, the constellation Leo the Lion – directly east from Cassiopeia in the western sky – will be in its highest point in the heavens, making it a great reference point to spot the Leonids.
The Leonids have been known for being one of the more brilliant meteor showers of the year. Their origins date back to 9th century Japan where a ‘guest star’ was documented on November 12th, 833 in the Japanese records. It was later speculated to be a Leonid meteor shower, hence the name.
The meteor shower is created by debris, which the Earth whizzes through annually on its path around the Sun. It’s thanks to this debris that the meteors are created – and even better news is that the Leonid shower has increased this year thanks to the Jupiter’s gravity, temporarily altering the orbit of some of the meteoroids closer to that of Earth.
So make sure to look skyward this weekend to see this spectacular show of shooting stars! It might not be as spectacular as prior years, but it will be an incredible sight with a chance to see up to 50 meteors the hour! And with no moon light to worry about this year, the skies will be clear and you can rest assured of a great view.