Meteor Shower November 2012: Where to Watch Leonids Light Up Sky in Rare Cosmic Event
Meteorology experts and space fanatics alike are bracing for a rare cosmic event this weekend known as the Leonid meteor shower, which is set to briefly light up the sky in the wee early hours of Sunday, barring inclimate weather. The Leonid shower comes every year at this time, but peaks this weekend, and onlookers with good weather and the patience to stay up late should be able to see a display of shooting stars, quick bright streaks which will come anywhere in the night sky.
The annual meteor storm has in the past produced as many as a thousand fireballs per minute (in 1966), but this year, astronomers say we are likely to only see a maximum or 20 per hour. Leonids are not of the the biggest spectacles in astronomy (there's another shower called the Geminids coming around December 13, with up to 100 shooting stars per hour), but they still offer a unique and rare sight for viewers to witness some of the universe's wonders. The peak is to come on Saturday morning, but there will be showers several nights after as well.
The Leonid meteors will appear to come from the constellation Leo, but they aren't associated with it. The Leonids are tiny pieces of the comet Tempel-Tuttle, which orbits the sun in a large ellipse. In some years (once every 33 years to be exact) the Tempel-Tuttle comes close to Earth, which can produce thousands of meteors per hour. But, that occurred in 1999, so this year may be more ordinary.
Every Day is Earth Day
2012-11-18 08:27:52
Source: http://www.riseearth.com/2012/11/meteor-shower-november-2012-where-to.html
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