Leonids meteor shower to peak around midnight Tuesday

Leonids meteor shower to peak around midnight Tuesday

(Jimmy Westlake/NASA)


1 photo
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SALT LAKE CITY — The annual Leonids meteor shower is about to peak.

Sometime around midnight Tuesday the show of speedy meteors will reach its most active period of about 15 meteor sightings per hour, according to NASA.

"A waxing-crescent moon will set before midnight, leaving dark skies to view these bright and colorful meteors," a description on NASA's website reads. "Dedicated observers with a telescope may wish to watch the Moon's earthlit night side for flashes due to Leonid meteoroid impacts on its night-side hemisphere."

While the best viewing time for the Leonids is late Tuesday night or early Wednesday, the shower has been going on since Nov. 6 and will continue through Nov. 30. It reaches its peak every year during mid-November, with special storms featuring hundreds to thousands of meteors occurring every 33 years. The last storm took place in 2002.

The Leonids, which are debris from the 55P/Tempel-Tuttle comet, are some of the fastest known meteors, according to NASA. Researchers said the meteors are bright and often colorful, streaking across the sky at speeds of 44 miles per second.

"Leonids are also known for their fireballs and earthgrazer meteors," NASA's website states. "Fireballs are larger explosions of light and color that can persist longer than an average meteor streak. This is due to the fact that fireballs originate from larger particles of cometary material. Fireballs are also brighter, with magnitudes brighter than -3. Earthgrazers are meteors that streak close to the horizon and are known for their long and colorful tails."

Forecasts show that visibility of the Leonids shower will likely be poor in Northern and Eastern Utah from Tuesday's dusk to Wednesday's dawn, but those in Southwest Utah should have better luck with fair viewing conditions. Traveling outside of the city to watch the show can also improve viewing conditions.

To check viewing conditions in your area, use NASA's online Fluxtimator.

If you live in the Desert Southwest, Texas, or Maine, congratulations!

Posted by AccuWeather.com on Monday, November 16, 2015

Photos

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

Utah
Natalie Crofts

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast