Going out in a blaze of glory
By Blaine P. Friedlander Jr.
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Cross your fingers for clear skies: Meteors ahead.
On the night of Nov. 17-18, a possibly strong Leonid meteor shower brews. With a night sky free of a hindering, bright moon and Earth's cosmic positioning, astronomers think many meteors will be visible in the hours after midnight.
Shooting stars occur when the Earth -- on its trek around the sun -- passes through the dusty trails left by comets. The remnant dust, as it strikes Earth's upper atmosphere, burns up and appears as shooting stars streaking through our heavens. Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle causes the Leonid meteors, and this year's show is courtesy of the comet's visits in 1466 and 1533, according to the International Meteor Organization (
http://www.imo.net).
From shower to slight storm: The rate at peak viewing time could be more than 100 meteors an hour, but North America is not well placed for the peak, says the organization.
How do you find meteors? It's easy. Grab a Thermos full of hot cocoa, find a dark sky and look up. They appear to emanate from the constellation Leo, which ascends the eastern sky before midnight. Barring cloudy skies, they'll be around until the first signs of daybreak.
Topic: Leonid meteor shower (Read 1694 times)
