Leonid meteor shower peaks on Tuesday over the high Sierra

Leonid Meteor
NASA/courtesy of nasaimages.org

The clear, dark skies of the high Sierra, mostly free of pollution and without many large urban centers, provides nearly ideal star-gazing conditions to see the Leonid meteor shower. November 17 marks the peak of the Leonid meteor display this year, and viewing conditions should be ideal with a new moon. According to Space.com 20 to 30 meteors per hour may be visible as we skim the outer edge of the cloud of meteor dust. The best viewing for California will be from 12:30 – 2:30 a.m. in the eastern sky.

The Leonid meteor shower is visible in mid-November every year. The meteors are associated with the comet Tempel-Tuttle and get their name from their location in the constellation of Leo. While this year’s expected display won’t break any records the meteors that are visible may be very bright as they represent heavier particles than the lighter dust that has dissipated since the cloud was released back in 1567.

When the Leonid’s parent comet returns every 33 years a burst of activity can be viewed when hundreds or thousands of meteors per hour can be seen. In 1833 a superlative storm was estimated to contain between one hundred thousand to two hundred thousand meteors and was seen around the world. The last period of enhanced activity occurred between 1998-2002, so we won’t see such a display again until around 2033.

Meteor showers are comprised of the remains of comets as they streak through the sky, orbiting the sun. They constantly shed icy particles that are visible as Earth travels through the stream and may appear to fall from a specific point in the sky.

Meteors are also known as falling stars or shooting stars if a single intense streak of light is seen as small space rocks incinerate high in the Earth’s upper atmosphere, up to 80 miles above the surface.

Given the wintry conditions at this time of year in the Sierra, some planning is required to get the most out of star gazing. Find a high point where the eastern sky is unobstructed, and where the lights from Reno or other towns won’t be predominant. Bundle up and bring sleeping bags, blankets, cushions and plenty of hot chocolate.

When you see a streak make a mental note and watch carefully for a second and third meteor. The point at which they cross represents the radiant of Leonid, the point at which it the Leonids appear to originate. See Meteor Showers Online for a diagram for where to look in the sky.

The weather forecast is predicting some storm activity on Tuesday so viewing conditions along the Sierra will depend on how fast the storm approaches.