Posted by By: Vineet Wal
This year is expected to be a peak for the Leonid Meteor Shower. Today late in the night, it is expected to produce about 500 meteors per hour. The shooting stars with a myriad of colours will be a sight to behold. Astronomers predict that this astronomical event could make history with the display.
Meteors and the meteor showers have always drawn attention of human beings. When meteors and other solar system materials enter the Earth’s atmosphere at speed as high as 1,58,000 mph, they burn up, frequently leaving glowing trails for seconds or minutes before getting vaporized.
The annual Leonid meteor shower is a result of the debris and sand particles blown off from the comet Temple Turtle and every year during November when Earth passes through this trail of dust the meteor shower forms a spectacular events. This happens regularly as clock work and is seen starting at the astrological area of the constellation of Leo and spread across the sky as a band, during 16th to 19th November.
The Leonid meteor shower has been watched in awe, mentioned and recorded by people of various cultures since centuries. The cause of the shower has been assigned multiple reasons depending on the understanding of astronomy of that time.
With the moon almost new, the best time to watch it happening is late on the 17th night specially between 1 am to 4 am during the morning of 18th November. Be sure to be away from all lights. If it is not cloudy, go out side the city limit in an open space and watch the starry fireworks. Jaipur, in India is the best place to be in, for watching this celestial event.
Since the cause of the Leonids shower is now know to mankind, it is taken as friendly and a benevolent event. But it was not so in earlier times. Some times the shower had been so severe that people thought that the life on earth was about to end.
Astronomers around the world get ready to watch and study this event very year. So should we, since this beautiful event is clearly visible by naked eye.