How to See the Leonid Meteor Shower

The Leonid meteor shower is among the most spectacular display of shooting stars each year. A meteor shower occurs when debris in space, often associated with a comet, pass through the Earth’s orbit at the same time each year. The particles, large and small, then vaporize in Earth’s atmosphere, leaving a spectacular trail--a “shooting star.”

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Blanket or lawn chair
• Star chart
• Flashlight

1. Wait until November 17. The Leonid meteor shower reaches its peak on or about this day each year. This is when the comet linked to the Leonids is passing by the Earth on its path around the Sun. The early morning hours are the best to see this display of meteors. The Leonids first begin to appear on November 13 and last until November 21, but the best viewing is on November 17 and 18.

2. Bundle up and head outside. Bring a blanket that you can lay on or a reclining lawn chair. Find a dark spot that has few trees and a good view of the horizon in all directions. A baseball field would be ideal. If it is very chilly bring a thermos of coffee or cocoa and some snacks. Have a flashlight with good batteries and if possible a star chart.

3. Find the constellation Leo. This is what is known as the radiant of the Leonid meteor shower, or point where the meteors seem to originate from. Leo can be found by drawing an imaginary line through the two stars in the “bowl” of the Big Dipper downwards. This line leads you to the star Regulus in Leo. The constellation will be in the east in northern latitudes this time of the year. The meteors will seem to emerge from a point in Leo called the “Sickle,” a backwards question mark formed by stars that represents the lion’s head. The star chart will help you find Leo if you are having problems.

4. Lay back and watch that area of the sky. You should be able to see a steady number of meteors coming from this area and going in all directions from this focal point. Some will be very faint, others bright and blazing. The Leonids have been known to produce dazzling and spectacular showers, like the one in 1833 in which a phenomenal 100,000 meteors an hour were seen, making millions believe it was the end of the world.

5. Keep a running count of how many meteors you see and how long you are outside. If you can stay for an hour, you should have a good idea of the hourly rate when you are done. The Leonids vary in number, from the thousands in some years to about 15 an hour in others.

Tips & Warnings

• You will actually be able to hear some of the bigger meteors as they sizzle through the atmosphere before burning up!