I saw a shooting star last night. Fast, bright and beautiful, it streaked across the black velvet of the night sky, skimming just above the tree tops. The Leonid meteor shower peaks this weekend, after it’s annual celestial fireworks show that happens every mid November. This year’s viewing window occurs Nov. 17th through the 20th.
There’s no moonlight to interfere with the meteor shower this year, so all you need is a dark viewing location, away from bright lights. That’s hard to do in the city, but if you can just position yourself away from the glare of any lights, you can still see plenty. Make yourself comfortable in a location that gives you a pretty good field of view of the night sky, and focus on any dim star, so your eyes will rest on just one object. That way you’re ready to quickly detect any movement in that area.
The Leonid meteors are named after the constellation Leo because they appear to come from that direction. Look toward the east after midnight, that’s the best time to catch the show, because the earth is turning directly into the meteor stream. There’s nothing more awe inspiring that catching a glimpse of these “shooting stars” streaking across the night sky.
Links:
International Meteor Organization