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SALT LAKE CITY — Those who wake up early Thursday morning may be greeted with a special treat: a view of the Leonid meteor shower.
While astronomers predict the annual Leonid meteor shower will hit its stride at about 4 a.m. Thursday, those who aren’t able to pry themselves out of bed that early will still have a chance to catch the show. The Leonid meteor shower has been active since Nov. 5 and will continue through the Nov. 30, with peak activity occurring on Thursday and Friday, according to NASA.
Those watching during the shower’s peak period could see as many as 15 meteors per hour traveling 44 miles per second, NASA reported. The comet of origin for the Leonids is the 55P/Tempel-Tuttle.
The near-full moon could make spotting meteors during the peak slightly more difficult in 2016 than other years, but the meteors should still be visible. Information about viewing conditions in your area can be found by using NASA's online Fluxtimator.
If viewing conditions are less than ideal where you live, it will still be possible to catch the peak of the Leonids by watching online. Slooh, an astronomy organization that partners with NASA, will provide a live broadcast of the event starting at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
The Leonids meteor shower, which NASA describes as including some of the fastest known meteors, arrives each November. Every 33 years, there is a special storm that displays hundreds to thousands of meteors. The next storm is expected to occur in 2034.
