What Is The Leonid Meteor Shower?
QUICK ANSWER
The Leonid meteor shower peaks mid-November each year with about 10-15 meteors per hour. Every 33 years, the Leonids produce spectacular meteor storms with hundreds to thousands of meteors per hour. Famous storms occurred in 1833, 1866, 1966, and 1999-2002.
The Leonids are a modest annual meteor shower most of the time, but legendary every 33 years when Earth passes through dense parts of their debris trail. Historical Leonid storms have been some of the most spectacular astronomical events ever witnessed, with thousands of meteors per hour. The shower is named for the constellation Leo, where the meteors appear to radiate from.
When do the Leonids peak?
Mid-November, typically around November 17-18. According to NASA, the Leonids are active from early to late November, with peak rates typically on the night of November 17-18. The Leonids are best viewed starting at about midnight local time from a dark location away from city and street lights. Normal annual rates are modest, often as low as 3 to 15 meteors per hour. Despite the typically lower numbers, individual Leonid meteors are often spectacular, with fireballs and earth-grazers being common.
What are Leonid storms?
Spectacular events every 33 years. A meteor storm is technically defined as 1,000 or more meteors per hour. The Leonids produce storms about every 33 years, when Earth passes through dense debris from their parent comet's previous orbit. The 1966 storm was extraordinary: viewers in the western United States saw thousands of meteors per minute during a 15-minute peak. The 1833 storm was so dramatic that hundreds of thousands of meteors blazed across the eastern US sky, terrifying observers including a young Abraham Lincoln. The last Leonid storm was in 2002.
Where do they come from?
Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. The Leonids are debris from this comet, which orbits the Sun every 33 years. The storms happen when Earth passes through dense regions in the debris stream, typically a few years after the comet's closest approach. Tempel-Tuttle was last near the Sun in 1998, producing the 1999-2002 storms. It will return in 2031, with the next major storm potentially occurring around 2031-2035. Annual Leonid activity outside storm years comes from older, more spread-out debris from many previous comet passages.
What are they like?
Fast, bright, and often colorful. Leonid meteors travel at about 44 miles per second (71 km/s), among the fastest of any major shower. They tend to be bright, with many achieving fireball status (brighter than -3 magnitude). Earth-grazer meteors, which streak nearly horizontally across the sky and leave long colorful tails, are particularly associated with the Leonids. The shower is best viewed away from the radiant point in Leo, since meteors appear longer when seen at an angle rather than head-on. No equipment is needed.
The Leonid meteor shower peaks mid-November each year with modest rates of 10-15 meteors per hour typically. Every 33 years, the Leonids produce spectacular meteor storms with hundreds to thousands of meteors per hour, caused by Earth passing through dense debris from comet Tempel-Tuttle. The most famous storms were in 1833, 1866, 1966, and 1999-2002. The next storm could come around 2031-2035 as the parent comet returns.
More Space Basics Questions
Mystery Question?
Mystery Question?
Mystery Question?