Leonid Meteor Shower

Leonids

We’re spoiled for meteor showers this time of year. This week, the Leonids peak on the night of the 17th and morning of the 18th November 2016. A waning Moon nearby will obscure the faintest meteors, but with patience, you should be able to spot a few bright ones.  

Also in November, the Taurids continue after their peak in early November.

This year the Leonids are expected to produce up to 15 meteors an hour. These meteors are caused by the Earth passing through the debris left behind by comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. As this debris – mostly made of small dust grains – hits Earth’s atmosphere at high speed, it heats up and disintegrates in flashes of light that we call meteors.

In the past, the Leonids have produced some of the most dramatic meteor showers ever witnessed. Roughly every 33 years, a Leonids storm produces nearly 1000 meteors an hour. Last seen in 1999, the next storm isn’t expected until around 2032.

Unfortunately this year the waning gibbous Moon, fresh off its supermoon peak, will block many of the fainter Leonids. Still, if the night of the 17th-18th is clear, it’s worth scanning the sky in the early hours before dawn. You may just catch a few bright Leonids, or even a leftover Taurid fireball or two.

How to Watch

The Leonids are named after the constellation Leo the Lion as this is the direction from which they appear to originate. After midnight, you’ll find Leo rising above the eastern sky. While the meteors appear to originate from Leo, they are best seen 30 degrees away from origin, so be sure to keep careful watch across the whole sky.

To view the Leonids from the UK, head outside anytime between midnight and dawn.

Look up, keep an eye on the whole sky, and find a location as far from city lights as you can.

The Leonids are active between 5 November and 30 November 2016. So if it’s cloudy on the 17th and 18th, you can always try again on a nearby day.

Meteor Infographic

Download our National Space Centre Meteor Shower Guide to make sure you are fully prepared to watch the Leonids!

Other upcoming meteor showers for 2016 include:

Geminids

Comet of Origin: 3200 Phaethon
Radiant: constellation Gemini
Active: Dec. 4-16, 2016
Peak Activity: Dec. 13-14, 2016
Peak Activity Meteor Count: 120 meteors per hour
Notes: The Geminids are typically one of the best and most reliable of the annual meteor showers. It’s usually one of the best opportunities for kids who don’t stay up late, because it gets going around 9 or 10pm local time. However, a full moon will outshine the shower in 2016.

Ursids

Comet of Origin: 8P/Tuttle
Radiant: constellation Ursa Minor
Active: Dec. 17-23, 2016
Peak Activity: Dec. 21-22, 2016
Peak Activity Meteor Count: 10 meteors per hour
Notes: The Ursids are a minor meteor shower radiating from the constellation Ursa Minor. This year the second quarter moon will block many of the fainter meteors.