California skywatchers, get ready to witness some celestial activity as the Leonids and Northern Taurids meteor showers peak in mid-November.
The Leonids meteor shower is active all month. According to the American Meteor Society, it will be strongest on the evening of November 16-17. The annual event takes place when Earth travels through the debris field of comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. Every year the Earth travels through the debris trail and the fragments hit the Earth’s atmosphere. That produces streaks of color and fire in the night sky.
Also visible tonight and this week over Visalia are several comets, asteroids and other planetary wonders; visit TheSkyLive for a detailed overview.
Along with the Leonids, the Northern Taurids reach their peak on November 12 and are best viewed when the constellation Taurus is above the horizon. But views of this year’s showers may be obscured by a bright beaver supermoon on November 15.
View the night sky over Visalia: Plan your observations of the solar system
Origin of the Leonid meteor shower
The Leonid meteor shower is caused by space debris from comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle colliding with Earth’s atmosphere. According to NASA, two independent discoveries of the comet were made by Ernst Tempel in 1865 and Horace Tuttle in 1866.
How to watch the Leonid meteor shower in California
Although the meteors will be visible across the entire Northern Hemisphere sky, the Leonids will appear to radiate from the constellation Leo the Lion, the shower’s namesake.
The Leonid shower is one of the most spectacular. According to EarthSky, there have been years when a “meteor storm” has occurred, with the Leonid shower of 1833 reaching as many as 100,000 meteors per hour.
The Leonids are best visible when the sky is clear. The moon will be 99% illuminated at the time of the shower this year, says MoonPhases.org, which can obscure visibility.
The protective layers of the earth
The Earth is shielded by the thin layers of the atmosphere. Small meteors that hit the atmosphere vaporize and burn up, leaving a trail of debris as they fall to Earth.
When are the next meteor showers in 2024?
After the Leonids, there are two more meteor showers left this year.
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The Geminids: Considered one of the strongest and most consistent meteor showers, peak Geminids can feature as many as 120 meteor trails per hour whizzing across the night sky, according to NASA. The best time to view is in the early hours of December 13 to 14.
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The Ursids: The Ursids are considered a ‘low-key’ shower; viewers may see as many as five to 10 meteors per hour in dark skies during the peak. According to Earth Sky, the best time to see the shower is before sunrise on December 22 and 23.
Contributors: Doyle Rice, Eric Lagatta and Jordan Mendoza
SOURCE NASA, American Meteor Society, EarthSky.org and Space.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Leonid meteor shower peaks in November: Where to watch in California
