The brilliant and colorful meteors "will fall like the rain" this weekend - how to see them
The Leonid meteor shower had previously produced one of the most amazing stellar glasses ever recorded.
Looking at the night sky can be one of the simplest ways to appreciate nature and to relax, even if you are not an astronomy expert. There may be a lot to see on some nights, whether it is an exceptionally shiny planet lighting the sky or an even rarer event as a lunar eclipse that you can see without using a telescope . And this weekend, the Leonids will bring brilliant and colorful meteors that could "fall like rain" in the sky. Read the rest to find out more about how you can see them and why this annual event is so special.
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The Leonids will fill the sky with "brilliant" and "colorful" meteor this weekend.
Relaxed stars and amateur astronomers could be for a treat in the coming days. Leonids are starting to speed up the activity as the meteor shower reached its peak During the weekend, according to NASA.
The annual event occurs in mid-November while the earth goes through the reverse track of the comet 55p / Tempel-Tuttle, an object relatively small by just over two miles wide which orbits the sun all 33 Years. The shower takes its name from its radiant point in the constellation Leo, which describes the quadrant from the sky whose "shooting stars" seem to come.
Leonids are distinguished as "brilliant meteors" which "can also be colored" and some of the fastest in the night sky, by NASA. The larger particles that make up the comet's path also create "fireballs", bringing "greater explosions of light and color which can persist longer than a sequence of medium meteors".
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The shower could produce meteors that "fall like rain" through the sky.
Like other meteor showers, Leonids can produce clearly different shows from year to year. On average, Stargazers can expect to catch around 10 to 15 meteors that translate into the sky per hour during advanced activity, according to NASA.
But the annual celestial event also stands out to create part of the The most superb night events never recorded. About every 33 to 34 years, Leonids can cause what is called a "meteor storm", in which 1,000 meteors or more will fall per hour, according to the Earthsky astronomy website. Historically, the storm even went far beyond that, with a shower in 1833 bringing 100,000 "shooting stars" every 60 minutes.
He is also responsible for one of the most dazzling celestial displays of living memory, thanks to a particularly strong performance which took place in 1966, according to Earth Sky. The viewers said they saw 40 to 50 meteors fall per second, which translates into 2,400 to 3,000 per minute - for a period of 15 minutes. It revealed the "shooting stars" to "fall like rain" in the night sky, according to NASA.
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Here's how to get the best view of Leonids when they culminate in the coming days.
Even if the last reported meteor storm generated by the Leonids was in 2002, astronomers always expect the shower to create beautiful visuals in the night sky. In addition to shiny fireballs, Stargazers can also expect to see "earth growths" who pass down along the horizon with "long and colorful tails".
Those who hope to catch the most activities should block their calendars for the top of the weather shower late on the night of November 17 at the time of the next day, according to Earthsky. The storm of this year also benefits from days before a first quarter of the moon, which means that there will be less slight interfering with visibility. But even with ideal conditions, experts say you will always want Configure yourself to succeed .
"People should look east from a location of the dark sky. Think of national forests, state parks and other places far from big cities", " Theodore Kareta , PHD, a postdoctoral researcher from the Lowell Observatory in Arizona, said USA today .
He added that giving your eyes time to adapt after living outside is also essential. "Some meteors can be weak, so in addition to finding a dark place to watch the night sky, you should also give yourself 20 to 30 minutes to get used to low light conditions," he suggests.
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There are also other celestial events that also deserve to catch this week.
While the Leonids will take the front of the stage for a few nights, it is not the only major celestial event of the week that is worth it. There are even other meteor showers to watch. THE Northern Meteor Shower will culminate on November 13, bringing a chance to overlap to catch "fireballs" in the night sky in the coming weeks. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB
And while the moon begins its first phases, viewers will probably be Able to see "Earthshine" on our neighbor in orbit on November 16 and 17, Forbes reports. The term refers to the light reflected by the earth on the moon which creates a ghostly glow along the dark section of the moon, making it partially visible to the naked eye and even more with twins or a telescope.
Those who have a decent whole of binoculars could also be able to see another passing traveler. Comet Lemmon should be Visible until November 17 , having recently reached its point closest to Earth, according to Astronomy.com. The use of instruments should make the object of the object - or the zone brilliant around its visible nucleus. You may also be able to see a weak image of its tail on the photographs.
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