Astronomy: It's time for the Leonid Meteor Shower

Tonight the Leonid Meteor Shower reaches it's peak.

Historically, the Leonids are some of the most impressive meteors and one of the most mind-blowing shower experiences there is.  Every 33 years, the shower becomes a storm as we pass through the path of the debris at its heaviest point, and rates of up to 1000 per hour have been seen.

The Leonid meteor shower is so named because its radiant point, from where the meteors seem to fan out, is located within the constellation of Leo (the Lion), from the backward-question-mark pattern of stars known as "The Sickle."

The meteors are spawned by Comet Tempel-Tuttle, which sweeps through the inner solar system every 33.3 years. Each time the comet passes closest to the sun, it leaves a "river of rubble" in its wake — a dense trail of dusty debris. A meteor storm becomes possible when Earth scores a direct hit on a fresh dust trail ejected by the comet over the past couple of centuries.

The "lion's share" (no pun intended) of comet dust can be found just behind and just ahead of Tempel-Tuttle. The comet last cruised through the inner solar system in 1998; that's why spectacular meteor showers were seen in 1999, 2001 and 2002, with declining numbers thereafter.

Because the peak of this shower is around 10 PM, it doesn't require losing a night's sleep before a work day to view.  Here's what you'll need:

1) NO BINOCULARS OR SCOPE!  Just your eyes!
2) A nice dark site away from the lights of a city.
3) A lounging or reclining lawn chair.
4) Warm clothes and a blanket.  You won't be moving, so you'll get cold quickly.
5) Hot beverages!  Preferable not something with caffeine, as that will narrow your pupils and let less light in.
6) Maybe some music to set the soundtrack.

This year, you can expect 10 to 20 meteors per hour.  If you have a good SLR camera and tripod, consider setting it up and doing timed exposures pointed toward the radiant.  If you have a small scope with a motor mount, you probably have a camera mount for it, so set it up and you can track the radiant all night and get some awesome photos.

Have fun!



(Some information from space.com.  Star chart courtesy Starry Night software.)