The sky's the limit: 2011 Leonid meteor shower

William Atkins
Thursday, 17 November 2011 08:30

Science - Space

Sky watchers should get a heavenly treat Thursday and Friday nights (November 17-18, 2011) as the Leonid meteor shower streaks overhead on both of those nights.

 

These meteors (some people call them "shooting stars") are clouds of dust and sand-sized particles that hit the atmosphere of Earth at tremendous speeds.

This collision heats them up so they are able to be seen streaking across the night sky.

Before this time of collision, these meteors are traveling toward Earth at about 210,000 kilometers (130,000 miles) per hour. An average meteor is about 9 millimeters across and approximately 85 grams in mass.

The Leonids will be seen all night long on both Thursday and Friday nights; however, between midnight and 3 a.m. local time will be your best bet to see the most per hour.

Although not having the most numerous meteors of all of the meteor showers, the Leonids are known for having some very bright ones streaking across the night sky.

Another good time to catch the Leonid meteor shower is before midnight on both nights, because the Moon (in its quarter phase) does not rise above the horizon until after midnight.

Consequently, the sky will be much darker without the reflected light of the Moon interfering with the watching of the Leonids.

Although the peak for the 2011 Leonid meteor shower is Thursday and Friday (November 17-18), you'll be able to see them after those dates for over a week.

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