You could see up to 15 meteors per hour.
On this fine Wednesday afternoon , I am a bearer ofwonderful space news . If you were itching for somecelestial happeningsthis week , you ’re in luck . The ululate Leonid meteor shower is upon us , and it is gear up to top out this weekend .
circumstance could n’t be better . According toEarthSky , the cascade is expected to top out in the morning of November 18 , which imply that the night between November 17 and 18 is your good wager to see a slew of shooting wiz . Light pollution wo n’t be a thing , as the first quarter lunation is set to come down on November 20 , leaving the night sky of the twenty-four hours properly before much darker . Now , this does n’t mean that there wo n’t be any moonlight — but what it does imply is that it wo n’t interfere much with your stargazing experience .
for best witness the phenomenon , you should aim to camp out late on the dark of November 17 until dawning on November 18 . You have to be patient as well — Leonids are n’t super intense in terms of frequency , and viewer might catch 10 to 15 meteor per minute during eyeshade . Which direction you search is also important to have the estimable potential shooting star exhibitioner experience . As the name suggest , the Leonids name come from the configuration of Leo , because they follow an outward management from the star form the Lion ’s Mane . So , to best see them , locate the Leo configuration in the sky and look around there — as EarthSky points out , meteors commonly are n’t seeable until they are around 30 degrees off from their refulgent ( origin ) point , and from there they go out in all direction , covering unlike parting of the sky .
bjdlzx/iStock/Getty Images
As per usual , do n’t forget the basic . judge and get hold the darkest possible placement , like thenearest Dark Siteor aplace with very small light pollution . Once that ’s finalize , no field glasses or equipment is necessary — just bring your own eyes , and give up them 30 moment to adapt to the dark . After that , you should be able to see a few meteor . And as NASA recommend , get comfortable — bring a blanket or a sleep bag with you and lie flavourless on your back . felicitous stargazing !
Ready to go stargazing?
Here are allthe best stargazing eventsthat you’re able to get out and see this month or you could stay in andstream the northerly lightsfrom habitation . If you ’re just getting started , check into out ourguide to astronomy for beginnersoreasy stargazing road tripper from big US cities .
