Leonid Meteor Shower to Peak This Weekend
Annual celestial event expected to display around 10 to 15 meteors per hour at its peak, but no meteor storm predicted this year.
- The Leonid meteor shower, known for some of the most impressive shooting stars in history, is due to peak in the early hours of the morning on Saturday, November 18, with a forecast of around 10 to 15 meteors per hour.
- The Leonids are a result of tiny particles of rock and ice falling through the Earth's atmosphere and heating up rapidly, appearing to come from the constellation Leo.
- The Leonids are caused by Earth passing through the trail of debris left in the wake of the comet Tempel-Tuttle, which orbits the sun once every 33 years.
- The number of meteors falling every hour varies from year to year, depending on how recently the comet passed by the inner solar system, releasing more debris into its small intersection with the Earth's orbit.
- The Leonid meteor shower is not expected to be particularly spectacular this year, but there could be surprising activity peaks.