The peak of Saturday night will cause 20 meteors per hour in the night sky

The weekend before Thanksgiving will be one of the last major meteor shows of the year, as the Leonids cross the sky.

This shower is famous for having triggered spectacular meteor storms that in the past have presented hundreds of thousands of meteors at the time, but such a storm is not anticipated this year at the Leonids.

"Twenty meteors per hour are likely to reach the summit, which makes it more active than the recent meteor shower Taurid," said AccuWeather astronomy blogger Dave Samuhel.

Although the peak of the Taurides is past, it is possible to spot some latecomers while searching for Leonids, which increases the total number of meteors visible at the time.

Several Leonids meteors fly over the skies over Joshua Tree National Park, California, looking south into the Southern California Desert by a 25-minute exhibit ending at 3:45 am (PST), November 18, 2001. ( AP Photo / Reed Saxon)

"Leonids are often bright meteors with a high percentage of persistent trains," said the American Meteor Society.

This will make them easily recognizable in the night sky, although light pollution may take away some of the meteors.

The second half of the night will be the best time to observe the Leonids after the moonset and the radiant point of the shower, or point of origin, in the heights of the sky.

"The meteors come from the constellation Leo in the northeast part of the sky," said Samuhel.

Although the Leonids radiate from the northeast, observers will be able to see meteors appear in all regions of the sky, weather permitting.

The best viewing conditions on the Leonids peak are expected in the central and western United States and in the Canadian Prairies.

"A dry climate could dominate the center and the west of the United States," said Kristina Pydynowski, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather.

Pydynowski added that fragmented clouds could hinder some meteors in the southern and southwestern plains, but that people should still be able to see some meteors in these areas.

"It may not be a good night at all to watch the meteor shower downwind of the Great Lakes, where a significant episode of snow causing a lake effect could be ongoing," said Pydynowski.

"Some clouds may be heading towards the I-95 corridor, but even if there are enough clouds in the sky, the strong winds will not make the night more pleasant for you." To sit down to watch the meteors, "added Pydynowski.

Astronomers will be able to see some of the Leonids in the nights before and after the peak of the shower, although fewer.

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People planning to travel to the outdoors this weekend to enjoy the climax of meteor shower should prepare for the cool nights of November and find a place to stay away from lights of the city.

"Urban, regional and national parks are often great places to watch meteor showers. Make sure to get to the park early in the day and find a large open area with a beautiful view of the sky in all directions, "said EarthSky.

Also, by avoiding looking at the lights and cell phone screens, your eyes will adjust to darkness, making it easier to see weaker meteors.

Leonid meteor storm, as seen in North America in the night of November 12 to 13, 1833. This woodcut was published in 1888 by E. Weib in his Bilderatlas der Sternenwelt (Image / Illustrated Atlas of stars / Wikimedia Commons)

While the Leonids should be a standard shower this year, they are famous for historic meteoric storms with thousands of meteors per hour.

"In fact, one could say that the Leonids have produced the most impressive shows in history," Samuhel said.

"I personally witnessed the last storm [in 2001]. I observed what seemed to be several meteors in the sky all night long. But, the 2001 show is nothing compared to 1966 and 1833, "said Samuhel.

People who witnessed the storm in 1833 would have seen up to 200,000 meteors per hour.

"The Leonid storm of 1833 was probably the most intense meteor storm in history," Samuhel said.

These Leonid meteor storms usually take place once every 33 years, making the next chance to do so before the early 2030s.

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