Leonid Meteor Shower 2009

The annual Leonid meteor shower lasts for one week in November. Get ready for a show of "shooting stars!"" The best place for a good view is in the country, away from the bright city lights and traffic. The darker the better, and this should be a moon-free night, only adding to the possibility of a great view. Get the family together and some lawn chairs, or toss a blanket on the ground, stretch out, and enjoy a night of sparkling mystery. With the milder temperatures of this November, the viewing should be comfortable. Brew up some hot chocolate, make some hot buttered popcorn and have a cozy fun family night!

Peak time

Tonight, November 17th is the peak time with some hopeful predictions of 20 or 30 flying sparks an hour in the Americas, beginning at midnight and lasting until dawn. Asia is in a better position to see up to 300 meteors. These are only forecasts so a lot more could happen. For some sky watchers, the joy of seeing even one flaming star is worth it.

What is a Leonid meteor shower?

Leonids are parts of debris from the Comet Tempel-Tuttle. This year the red planet Mars will be passing by at the time of the shower and the fiery meteors will appear to be shooting out of the planet, making this a spectacular show. This one is not predicted to be big enough to be classified a storm as was the big one of 1833. This storm was viewed and noted by American Indians, slaves, and others on November 13. It lit the skies over North America with an estimated thousands of meteors an hour and even some fireballs. This storm, just before dawn, caused wide-spread alarm. A first-hand account by Elder Samuel Rogers was noted.

More big storms happened in 1866 - 67, and still another one was seen over the Americas in 1966.

The great advances in the world of computer technology takes some of the mystery out of the world of earth and sky. Recording and watching night-sky happenings is easier with results being easily viewable and studied by the world. Best viewing times are more accurate along with instant weather conditions, even so, any Leonid meteor shower could turn into an unexpected surprise.

Make plans to attend this once-a-year show!

Sources:

http://www.science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/ast22jun99%5F2.html
http://www.khabrein.info
www.redorbit.com/news/space/
http://www.nationalgeographic.com-Leonid Meteor Shower
stardate.org/nightsky/meteors/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonids
leonid.arc.nasa.gov/