The Leonid meteor shower peaks this week. How to watch the heavenly spectacle

Say what you want about 2020, it’s been a lightning year in the night sky, with bright comets and heavy meteor showers which continue into November with the appearance of the annual Leonids, peaking this week.

The Leonids trace back to Comet 55P / Tempel-Tuttle and they’ve put on real shows over the centuries in the form of intense meteor storms that produce hundreds of visible meteors per hour.

The American Meteor Society says it’s unlikely we’ll see such a storm in our lifetime (most recent in 2001), although 2030 could see a minor storm. This year, the Leonids are offering the ability to see around 15 meteors per hour at most on Monday, November 16 and Tuesday, November 17, when the tiny sliver of the moon will not produce much interference. Leonids tend to be pretty bright with lingering trains.

The best strategy to catch Leonids is to venture early in the morning before dawn as close as possible to the respective peaks of the downpours. Stay away from light pollution if you can, dress appropriately, and find a comfortable place to lie down with a clear, wide view of the sky.

Then relax, let your eyes adjust, and just watch. You don’t have to focus on a particular area of ​​the sky, but if you can spot the constellation Leo, the Leonids will appear to originate from that part of the sky and move outward like spokes on a wheel. Also keep an eye out for a shiny taurid fireball, like the The Taurids of the North and the South are also active.

Enjoy a small fire in the sky and forward all the epic fireball photos you took on Twitter @EricCMack.