Leonid Meteor Showers

[Pete]

This year's Leonid Meteor shower starts tonight and continues through the 20th. The peak strength should be atNovember 18; 8:45pm PST ... there's a possibility of as many as 100 meteors an hour Saturday night, though some astronomers think it might only be 35 an hour. In any event, they will be low in the eastern sky and best viewed from Europe or the East coast. Read Details HERE. Looks like a cold, clear night, so viewing should be good if they show.

[Fast Water]

Thanks for the reminders Pete.

From SapceWeather.Com


LEONID METEORS: Every year in mid-November, Earth glides through a veritable minefield of comet dust clouds. The source: Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. This weekend Earth will graze one of those clouds, producing an outburst of Leonid meteors.



If forecasters are correct, the outburst will peak around 0445 UT on Sunday, Nov. 19th (11:45 p.m. EST on Saturday, Nov. 18th). The timing favors observers in western Europe, Brazil and the Atlantic coast of North America, who could see as many as 100 meteors per hour: full story.

Although the shower is expected to peak sharply at 0445 UT on Nov. 19th, keep an eye on the sky at other times, too. Leonids may appear in fits and spurts all weekend long. The best time to watch, generally speaking, is during the hours before dawn when the constellation Leo is high in the sky: sky map.

[pnwcoast]

Pete, thanks for keeping us informed, and grounded, to an important event.

[Cool Texan]

I am sitting in PDX airport right now, waiting for my MIDDLE SEAT red eye flight to Texas. Ouch. I'll be trying to score a window seat...and when not sleeping, I'll look for a light show. I'll report back in a few days.

[Cool Texan]

In Houston now....and I can report there were no meteor shows to watch in the sky. Then again, I was in an aisle seat and sound asleep, but I saw no meteors.

[Pete]

No clouds in Portland, but fog so thick I couldn't see the streetlights! Oh well.

[Chrome Bumper]

No fog here but a high overcast.