It is a pleasure to see a supermoon. But that bright luminous orb will still be almost full when the Leonid meteor shower peak over the weekend, likely obscuring all but the brightest meteors in most locations.
The Leonids are known for their high-speed meteors, which can travel up to 44 miles per second.
“Unfortunately this year, observing conditions will be affected” by an almost full Moonsaid Shyam Balaji of King’s College London. “Observing during the early morning hours, when the Moon is lowest in the sky, can improve your chances of seeing more meteorites.”
This shower can result in around 15 visible meteors per hour under ideal viewing conditions.
This year’s peak activity will occur on Sunday when the Moon is at 98% full. The rain lasts until December 2.
Here’s what you need to know about the Leonids and other meteor showers.
What is a meteor shower?
Several meteor showers occur annually and no special equipment is needed to view them.
Most meteor showers come from comet debris. The source of the Leonids is Comet Tempel-Tuttle.
When rocks from space enter Earth’s atmosphere, the air resistance makes them very hot. This causes the air to glow around them and briefly leaves behind them a fiery tail — the end of a “shooting star.”
Bright pockets of air around fast-moving space rocks, which range in size from a dust particle to a boulder, may be visible in the night sky.
How to see a meteor shower
Meteor showers are usually most visible between midnight and the hours before dawn.
It’s easier to see shooting stars under dark skies, away from city lights. Meteor showers also appear brighter on cloudless nights when the Moon wanes to its minimum.
And your eyes will be better suited to seeing meteors if you’re not checking your phone.
When is the next meteor shower?
The meteorological society maintains an up-to-date list of upcoming major meteor showers, including days of maximum visibility and moonlight conditions.
The next big shower is the Geminid meteor shower, which peaks in mid-December.
1 / 13 | An astronomical spectacle: this is how the supermoon was seen around the world. This is how the astronomical phenomenon was seen during the Mid-Autumn Festival in Qiqihar, a province of China. – The Associated Press