Leonids Fireball Image Credit by George Varros NASA

There are three meteor showers starting in November. Of the three meteor showers; two will peak and the other will be at its maximum in December. The meteor showers of November are the Leonids, the α-Monocerotids and the Phoenicids.  There are two other meteor showers that have been active for months coming to an end, the minor meteor showers, the Southern and Northern Taurids.

The Leonids Meteor Shower is the strongest meteor shower of November and will produce approximately twenty visible meteors per hour during its maximum in the morning hours of November 18th. This event starts November 6th and is caused by a comet named 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. This comet was very close to Earth in 1998 and subsequently thereafter produced a huge meteor storm in 2001. These events were unexpected and the Leonids for the most part can be very unpredictable.

What can you expect this year from the Leonids?

One can expect the moon to be a factor. The moon will be in its last quarter phase on November 18th and will be shedding some light into the sky. Light is a major inhibitor of meteor showers as it causes light pollution, which makes it more difficult to spot meteors. This year scientists are claiming that most of the particles entering the Earth’s atmosphere will be smaller than usual. I would love to tell you that this meteor shower is going to be as grand as the one that occurred in 2001, but I have to tell you to keep your expectations low.

When to look?

We should be observing this meteor shower whenever we can. There is nothing wrong with gazing at the skies in search of meteors. But believe me I know most of you have busy lives. I always get asked, “When is the best time to look?” So here’s your answer. Look in the morning hours of November 18th and use the illustration below to locate the constellation Leo.

Leonids Meteor Shower - Use the Big Dipper to Locate the Constellation Leo

The two other smaller meteor showers:

α-Monocerotids starts on November 15th and will have its greatest activity on November 22nd and the Phoenicids will start at the end of the month and will have its peak December 6th. Both of these showers are considered minor and will most likely produce little activity. I’d like to note that it is very difficult to predict when an outburst will occur, so the more seasoned viewer who has time to spend outdoors may spot some greater activity.

Quick Schedule:

I will be out watching the shower several times during the month and I welcome your comments and questions. Feel free to use the search button in the top right corner. So with no further ado, I’m off to gaze at some meteors, in the meantime I’ll be keeping my head up, will you?

Keep your head up!

- Meteor Mark

The post Meteor Showers of November 2011 appeared first on Meteor Showers.

Leonids Fireball Image Credit by George Varros NASA

The Leonids Meteor Shower is the strongest meteor shower in November. The Leonids’ parent comet, 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, came closest to Earth in 1998 and produced some massive meteor showers that were unpredicted in 2001. In recent times, the Leonids activity has been erratic of late. This year, I believe there will be moderate activity during the peak, which occurs on November 17th. However, my colleagues predict that, in 2010 it is unknown whether there will be more action than usual. Therefore I am urging viewers to keep their expectations low, but still take the time to have a few viewing sessions before and after the peak. During the peak viewers might see one meteor every three minutes or a Zenith Hourly Rate (ZHR) of twenty or more meteors per hour. Keep in mind that this viewing rate is under perfect sighting conditions.

For those of you who have been with me since I started Meteor Blog in 2008, you know I try to answer as many comments as I can. I’m flattered by all of the comments I receive on this meteor site and I enjoy reading them all, so please keep them coming. Since my first meteor inspired article, the most common question I am asked, is:

When is the best time to look?

The best time to view the Leonids, as is the case with most meteor showers, will vary depending on where you are in the world. I can assure you that meteor showers are one of the hardest astronomical events to predict, even for the most experienced astronomers and scientists. Having stated that, I will try to give all of you some advice for optimising your chances for seeing the most meteors in the sky near you. I find that the majority of people think meteor showers are events that take place at night, however they are usually best seen in the morning. People tend to equate night with darkness and therefore they assume that it would be more likely to see more meteors before midnight. This is a common fallacy. As with the majority of these celestial events, this year’s Leonids Shower is best seen in the morning of November 17th, before dawn. For some of you the Moon will have set so it won’t add any unwanted light in the sky. When looking for meteors, the Moon plays a big role in your viewing session as its luminescence can encroach upon your viewing range. The Moon will be in a waxing gibbous phase on November 17th and more than 85% illuminated. This condition will degrade your viewing experience, however the Moon does set in the early morning hours creating less light in the sky resulting in more chances to see meteors.

Where to Look?

Meteors can be seen anywhere in the sky, so positioning yourself in a spot where you can view the constellation Leo as well as a large portion of the sky is optimal. The key to viewing meteors is to pick a spot in the sky and look at it for fifteen to twenty minutes at a time with a viewing session no shorter than an hour. Once you have found your spot in the sky, fix your eyes to it as meteors streak across the sky quickly. Looking around rather than focusing on a segment of the sky will greatly degrade your chances of seeing a shooting star. You will notice that meteors trace backwards towards the constellation of Leo and/or seem to originate from a point in the sky called the radiant.

How do I find the radiant, Leo?

Leonids are named after their radiant, the constellation Leo. I like to use a familiar constellation to aid in finding Leo. Most of you know the Big Dipper (The Plough); so let’s use it to find the Leonids Meteor Shower radiant. Please use the picture below to help you find Leo. Keep in mind that your sky will look slightly different than the image depending on your location, but with a little patience you will be able to figure out a general area in which to track meteors. You don’t have to be too precise to see a meteor. You just have to be committed to spending some time staring at the same point in the sky. Find a safe, dark place to observe and bundle up in lots of layers, if you’re in area that gets cold.

Leonids Meteor Shower - Use the Big Dipper to Locate the Constellation Leo

You may want to review the article I wrote a few years ago regarding the famous Leonids Meteor Swarm of 1833 and some of the other articles that I’ve written by checking the links below.

Leonids Meteor Swarm
Leonids Meteor Shower 2009
Starting to Roar
Meteor Shower Viewing Tips
Meteor Glossary and Terms

I hope that we see some activity from the Leonids this year. I’m not expecting it to be a huge meteor shower, but it’s definitely worth taking a look. If you’ve enjoyed the article, please join the mailing list, bookmark the site and consider buying me a cup of coffee by using the “A Coffee for Meteor Mark” section on the right of this page. I’ll need them whilst I’m up early searching the skies for meteors.

Keep your head up!

- Meteor Mark

The post Leonids Meteor Shower – Does the “Big Cat” Purr in November? appeared first on Meteor Showers.

Universal Time (UT) is the same as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). By now I’m hoping that you are asking yourself “Where to Look?” to see this grand episode. I have posted a few different maps around the site in the comments for people all over the world. You can use the maps as a guide to find the Constellation Leo, but remember Leonids can be seen anywhere in the sky. This year the moon will be really prominent in the sky shedding a lot of light due to the fact that it is in a waning gibbous phase with near 75% of the moon illuminated.

How do you view this shower? Find a nice dark spot away from man made lights, get a lawn chair and if you’re in a cold weather area please dress warmly. Sit back and look for the Big Dipper and navigate from the Big Dipper to the radiant in Leo. This map should help you find Leo. The view of the Big Dipper and the Constellation Leo will be different for everyone in the world.

Please report your Leonids Meteor Shower sightings here on the site and keep your head up!

Where to Look for the Leonids Meteor Shower

GMT TIME Click on The Clock to Find Your Time Zone

The post Leonids Meteor Shower November 2008 News Flash appeared first on Meteor Showers.

Leonids Fireball Image Credit by George Varros NASA

The Leonids Meteor Shower of 2008 becomes active November 10th. For a full thirteen days the meteor shower can be seen near the constellation Leo the Lion and is set to peak on November 17, 2008 in the early morning hours of Monday.  The Leonids are world-renowned since their meteor showers have been notorious meteor storms in the past and can be among the most brilliant. The Leonids get their name from the locality of their radiant near the constellation Leo, as the meteors seem to emerge from that point in the sky. One of the most celebrated Leonids Meteor Shower was categorized as a meteor storm and occurred in November of 1833 where an estimated one hundred thousand meteors bombarded the Earth’s atmosphere per hour. The culprit for this commotion can be traced to the Comet 55P/Temple-Tuttle. I’m not insinuating that you will see a shower of monstrous proportions like those of the past, but I can assure you that a Leonid is always worth viewing.

The Leonids of 2008 will be a lot different due to a waning gibbous moon phase that will see about 75% of the Moon’s illumination in the sky and the fact that Leo appears close to the horizon in the northern hemisphere. The ginormous hourly rate of the past was caused by a direct impact with the dust particles from the 55P/Temple-Tuttle Comet, but because of a disturbance of the gravitational pull of the planet Jupiter we may not see such activity for 50 or 60 years. The last time the shower displayed incredible displays in the sky was in 2001 and was virtually unpredicted. Because the Leonids have always been volatile, I hope this year some of you will witness an amazing swarm of meteors in the heavens. Remember meteors can be seen anywhere in the sky, but you can follow their route back to their apparent radiant. I am always thrilled to view your comments, so please post your meteor sighting activity here and of course always stay positive and you never know what the skies will bring you.

- Keep Your Head Up!
- Meteor Mark

The post Leonids Meteor Shower of 2008 appeared first on Meteor Showers.

The Southern and Northern Taurids are active right now and will remain full of zip until November 25. The Taurids are set climax following months of activity on November 5th and November 12th respectively. The highly celebrated Leonids initiate their display November 10 with a maximum viewing date of November 17th and will produce over twenty meteors per hour. The minor meteor shower the α-Monocerotids begin their show November 21 with a listed peak date of November 21st.

The post November 2008 Meteor Shower Information appeared first on Meteor Showers.

leonids-meteor-image-fireball

A Leonids Fireball plummets toward the Mediterranean Sea in a brilliant photo taken by Tunc Tezel over the shoreline of southeast Antayla, Turkey. One of the finest meteor storms ever witnessed was nearly 175 years ago over the United States. For the duration of almost four hours ahead of daylight on November 13, 1833, the skies were overflowing with thousands of meteors each minute. The lower picture is an artist’s portrayal of the events over Niagra Falls. The comet Tempel-Tuttle causes this annual grand display of meteors and fireballs. The Tempel-Tuttle Comet’s elliptical orbit of our Solar System is approximately 33 years long.

Artist Rendition of the Meteor Storm Over Niagra Falls in 1833

The Leonids Meteor Shower is the end result of dust that may be from the lane traveled by the comet fifty or hundreds of years ago when the Earth passes directly through the path of the comet’s dust each year in November. The Leonids Meteor Showers are accountable for the contemporary analysis of Meteor Storms. Meteor Storms are defined as huge eruptions of meteors over an extended period of time, where meteor shower outbursts are only few a few minutes during normal monthly meteor activity. Through their reign, Meteor Storms can turn out ten or more meteors per second, literally filling the sky with light. Meteor Showers are exceptionally extraordinary and perhaps one of the most exhilarating events of a lifetime.  I welcome your comments and hope you enjoy the upcoming shower.  You may witness meteor shower outbursts, but you never know, a meteor storm could be coming to your area!

Keep Your Head Up!

The post Leonids Fireball appeared first on Meteor Showers.