Look Up Stargazers for One of Best Fall Meteor Shower in Central New York
Stargazers, look up at the night sky for one of the best meteor showers of the fall season in Central New York.
The Leonids meteor shower will begin on November 3 and run through December 2. It will peak on the night of November 18, into the early morning of November 19.
The shower is called Leonids because its radiant, or the point in the sky where the meteors seem to emerge from, lies in the constellation Leo, according to The American Meteor Society.
The Leonids occur when the Earth passes through the debris left by Comet Tempel-Tuttle. The comet takes around 33 years to make one orbit around the Sun.
Most Mesmerizing Displays
The Leonids are best known for producing meteor storms in the years 1833, 1866, 1966, 1999, and 2001. During these outbursts, hourly rates ranged from 1,000 to 100,000 meteors per hour, creating some of the most mesmerizing displays in recent history.
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When & How to See
The best time to observe any meteor shower is during the early morning hours, from 4 to 5 AM. Just focus on the dark sky and avoid looking at the moon, your cell phone, or other sources of light.
You can check out an interactive meteor shower sky map at Timeanddate.com for more details on which direction to look.
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If you miss the Leonids, there are a couple more meteor showers you can catch before the end of the year. The Geminids will peak on December 14 and the Ursids on December 22.
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