In November, we can see a real intensity of “” in the night sky. During this period, the globe is within the range of the fastest meteor shower known to us – the Leonids. The peak of their activity usually falls on November 17-18. Unfortunately, this does not mean that late Friday evening will be the perfect time to observe.
The night of shooting stars is approaching. Earth has approached its fastest meteor shower yet
The source of the phenomenon of shooting stars are particles left by orbiting comets. These small fragments, , fall into the Earth’s atmosphere and burn up, creating a visually impressive phenomenon. It is especially easy to observe them at night, when their activity is the highest. The occurrence of many shooting stars from the same shower in the sky is called a meteor shower.
The website states that the source of the Leonid meteor shower is comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. Its effects can be seen in the sky from November 10 to 23, with the peak of activity recorded between the 17th and 18th of the month. During this period, we can expect about 15 shooting stars per hour. While the Leonids are not the largest shower in terms of numbers, they are surpassed by the Perseids, among others, and are by far the fastest.
– Their speed is about 70 km/s. This is due to the shape of the orbit in which comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle moves. It is located in such a way that the material left behind by the comet collides with our Earth’s atmosphere at the highest speeds – explained Damian Jabłeka, deputy director of the Silesian Planetarium, in an interview with the portal.
The Leonids will appear in the night sky. The time may not be favorable for observations
People who were hoping to sit outside their house on Friday evening and start looking for shooting stars may be severely disappointed. The meteor shower will only be visible in the morning. – It’s a spring constellation, so it’s currently below the horizon all night long. It can be observed in the morning, before sunrise. And it is in the east that the Leonids are visible, covering almost half of the sky – the expert pointed out.
Source: Gazeta
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