The Leonid meteor shower has produced some unforgettable displays: in 1833, for example, observers reported14,000 meteors per hour, producing enough light to read by, they said. And in 2001, the annual Leonid shower was a “meteor storm,” with 1,000 meteors per hour. In recent years, however, the shower has trickled back down to its average of around a dozen meteors per hour, but it’s still a display worth watching.
The Leonids’ parent comet, Tempel-Tuttle, passes by Earth every 33 years. This year, the Leonids are predicted to peak in the pre-dawn hours of Nov. 18 for observers in North America, although viewing could still be good for a day or two after that. Observers in Europe, North Africa and the Near East may have the best view, according to some astronomers. Most experts predict that the shower won’t reach more than 15 meteors per hour, but some predictions indicate the shower could peak at about 50 meteors per hour this year, and because the Moon is in first quarter, it will set shortly after midnight, and its light won’t interfere with the shower’s peak. Later on Nov. 18, the shower may pass through debris left behind when Tempel-Tuttle passed by in 1932. This could heighten the shower’s activity.
Though the shower is fast-moving, many of the meteors are faint, and so catching a glimpse of them requires patience, a clear horizon, and a good pair of binoculars. To view the shower, look to the northeast, where the meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Leo the Lion. However, for the best view, don’t look only at Leo; instead, keep your eyes moving throughout the sky.