{"id":38835,"date":"2022-11-17T08:53:08","date_gmt":"2022-11-17T08:53:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/?p=113778"},"modified":"2022-11-17T09:02:13","modified_gmt":"2022-11-17T09:02:13","slug":"see-the-leonid-meteor-shower-peak-tonight","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/see-the-leonid-meteor-shower-peak-tonight\/","title":{"rendered":"See the Leonid meteor shower peak tonight"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Iain Todd\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 17 November 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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The Leonid meteor shower peaks this evening and tomorrow evening, making for a great naked-eye observing event as we head into the weekend.<\/p>\n

The best time to see the 2022 Leonid meteor shower will be on the nights of 17\/18 and 18\/19 November.<\/p>\n

The Leonid meteor shower is one of the most popular of the annual meteor showers, which are caused as Earth passes through streams of debris left behind by comets \u2013 and sometimes asteroids \u2013 on its journey around the Sun.<\/p>\n

For more advice on spotting a meteor, read Pete Lawrence\u2019s complete guide to the Leonid meteor shower<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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Leonid meteors appear to emanate from the head of the Leo constellation. Credit: CEDIC Team + Hubl Bernard \/ CCDGuide.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

The effect on Earth is that we see \u2018shooting stars\u2019 or meteors: streaks of light that appear in the sky when grains of dust pass through our planet\u2019s atmosphere.<\/p>\n

Leonid meteors can be seen every year between 10\u201320 November<\/strong>. They are fast meteors, entering the atmosphere at 77km\/s, and are associated with the debris stream of comet 55P\/Tempel-Tuttle.<\/span><\/p>\n

Find out when the next meteor shower<\/a> is visible or discover what causes meteor showers<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

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Chart showing the position of the radiant of the Leonid meteor shower 2022. Credit: Pete Lawrence<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

The radiant \u2013 the point in the sky from which the meteors appear to come \u2013 is in the curved portion of the Sickle asterism<\/a> in the Leo constellation<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

For reference, it\u2019s the section of the constellation that\u2019s supposed to represent the Lion\u2019s head.<\/span><\/p>\n

How many Leonid meteors will we see?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Leonid meteor shower has a Zenithal Hourly Rate (ZHR) of 15 meteors per hour.<\/p>\n

This is the number of meteor showers that you could expect to see under optimal viewing conditions with the shower radiant directly overhead.<\/p>\n

The Leonid meteor shower\u2019s popularity is partly a result of a periodic increase in its ZHR every 33 years.<\/p>\n

During these bursts in activity, Leonids can produce a spectacular display of 1,000\u2013100,000 meteors per hour.<\/p>\n

The next interesting period begins around 2032\u20132033, though, so we have a while to wait for the next one.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, a prediction has been made for a moderate ZHR enhancement during the Leonid meteor shower 2022, between 05:50 UT and 06:10 UT on the morning of 19 November, as the sky is brightening.<\/p>\n

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Watching a meteor shower doesn\u2019t require any fancy equipment: just clear, dark skies, warm clothing and some good company. Credit: Anthony Sabatino \/ EyeEm \/ Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Top tips for seeing a Leonid meteor<\/strong><\/h2>\n