SEATTLE — The Leonids meteor shower is expected to peak during the predawn hours of Sat., Nov. 18.
Visibility could be a challenge in western Washington. Skies will be clear early Friday evening and just before sunrise on Saturday, but overnight a band of high clouds might obscure the meteor shower for most of the time after midnight, according to Meteorologist Rich Marriott.
The good news is that the moon is currently in its waxing crescent phase and will not be up after midnight, which will help viewing conditions.
The best places to see the meteor shower will be away from the city and light pollution – the darker the sky, the better.
What is the Leonids meteor shower?
The Leonids typically peak in mid-November each year, originating from the comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle.
The meteor shower is slower than some of the other big meteor showers with an average rate of 10 to 15 meteors per hour, according to Marriott. Every 33 years or so, the Leonids produce a lot of meteors – up to hundreds to thousands of meteors per hour, according to NASA.
This is called a meteor storm. The last time we saw a Leonids meteor storm was in 2000, according to Marriott.
Where can I see the Leonids meteor shower in the sky?
The Leonids radiate from the constellation Leo, although NASA said people should look across the night sky to view the shower, as they could appear longer further from the radiant.
To view the meteor shower, people should look east after midnight toward the constellation Leo, which is where the shower radiates from.
The meteors are shorter closest to the constellation and get longer the further away you look, so NASA urged people to look across the night sky for “more spectacular viewing.”
After midnight is the best viewing, because we are on the leading side of Earth in its orbit around the Sun, so we sweep up more meteors (run into them) after midnight. It is the same reason you end up with more bugs on the front windshield of your car than on your back windshield.
Your best bet is to have a lounge chair that allows you to lie back and gives you a wide view of the sky. Warm clothes are a good idea too because temperatures will be in the 30s.
