How to watch the Leonids meteor shower tonight and when it will peak across UK
The Leonids meteor shower is about to reach its peak across the UK tonight just as the Beaver supermoon wanes.
A dazzling display of fast, bright meteors, entering the atmosphere at 70 kilometres per second, will be present throughout November but will be at its peak tonight.
The shower promises 10 meteors per hour as fragments of Comet Tempel-Tuttle enter the Earth’s atmosphere.
Viewing conditions will be affected by the waning supermoon this year, as the bright glow will obscure many of the passing meteors.
How can I watch the Leonid meteor shower?
The Leonid meteor shower can be seen with the naked eye, but will be most visible away from street lights and light pollution of city areas.
Experts recommend standing on a hill, preferably in the countryside, or on the coast, as the darker the night’s sky the high the chances of seeing the illuminating display.
The meteors can be seen in all parts of the sky, so aim for a wide open space where the whole night sky can be seen.
Patience will also be required to spot the meteor show.
Meteor showers are usually most visible between midnight and predawn hours, and it could take as long as 10 minutes for the eyes to adjust.
What causes a meteor shower?
The colourful, glowing streaks of meteors develop when Earth passes through a stream of tiny pieces of debris left behind by a comet, in this case Comet Tempel-Tuttle.
When the rocks and debris space enter Earth’s atmosphere travelling at high speeds, the resistance from the air causes them to burn up and glow.
They leave a fiery tail behind them, which is visible as the end of a ‘shooting star’.
The Leonids meteor shower got its name because the meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Leo.
The next big meteor shower after the Leonids will be the Geminid meteor shower, which peaks in mid-December.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this,check our news page.
Get your need-to-know latest news, feel-good stories, analysis and more by signing up to Metro's News Updates newsletter
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/how-to-watch-the-leonids-meteor-shower-tonight-and-when-it-will-peak-across-uk/ar-AA1ucH8n?ocid=00000000
Related
Fortnite OG is coming back permanently in December
The throwback mode is getting added to Fortnite’s regular rotation.
NewsThe best pocket microscopes of 2024
Pocket microscopes are a way to take a sense of adventure with you wherever you go. These tiny machines allow you to zoom in and see an object’s surface or even look at cells without the care and precision usage that a standard laboratory-style microscope demands. Alternatively, they can be more powerful scientific machines that […]
NewsHow to watch the Leonids meteor shower tonight and when it will peak across UK
Meteors will be visible tonight despite the glow of the full moon
NewsAI, North Korea, Trump: What Biden and Xi discussed in their final meeting
President Joe Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC conference in Lima, Peru -- their last meeting of Biden’s presidency.
NewsCalifornia mountain lions are adapting to human schedules: Study
Mountain lions in the greater Los Angeles region are consciously shifting their activity to avoid interacting with human residents, a new study has found. Big cats living in areas with higher levels of human recreation may be more nocturnal than those inhabiting more remote areas, where felines tend to be active at dawn and dusk,…
News'No turning back' on energy transition, says US Energy Secretary
U.S. Secretary for Energy Jennifer Granholm said that "regardless of who is actually occupying the White House" transition from fossil fuels to cleaner forms of energy would continue globally. "There's no turning back", she told an audience at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
NewsDesign an interstellar 'generation ship' to spend decades among the stars with Project Hyperion competition
A new design competition, dubbed Project Hyperion, is calling for submissions for the design of a crewed interstellar generation ship.
NewsNYC officials stand with Staten Island family bakery after Whoopi Goldberg controversy
Fox News correspondent Lauren Green tells 'Fox News Live' the latest on the Staten Island bakery Whoopi Goldberg suggested refused to make her desserts over political views.
News