The astronomical phenomenon of the Leonids will reach its peak on the night of November 16 to 17. Astronomy enthusiasts will be able to watch the phenomenon best from 11:00 p.m. until 03:00 a.m.
During the phenomenon, around ten meteors per hour will be seen Photo pexels.com
Specifically, the earth intersects the path of comet Tempel-Tuttle as we cross the Leonid meteor stream. The comet leaves large amounts of dust in orbit that enter and burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere. They leave behind luminous streaks, visible for less than a second.
This year, the phenomenon occurs near the full moon phase, so the less bright meteors will not be able to be observed. According to experts, a bright moon makes it much harder (or impossible) to notice other nearby celestial bodies.
The Leonids (named after the “Leo” Constellation) are meteorites formed from the debris left behind by Comet Tempel-Tuttle, as part of its orbital movement around the Sun. Once every 33 years there are “meteor storms” in mid-November that create what are now known as “shooting stars”. In the year 2032, such a phenomenon will take place.
The Leonid meteor current is active between November 6 and 30. The maximum point will be on November 17. At the time, astronomers announced that they would be able to see around ten meteors per hour.
Meteors can be seen with the naked eye, but in order to observe them in good conditions, those interested must go to areas without light pollution, far from the city lights, explains the astronomical observatory in Bacău, according to HotNews.
