Leonid Meteor Shower
LEONID METEOR WATCH: The Leonid meteor shower peaks this year onNovember 17th and 18th. Bright moonlight will probably spoil the
show, but not necessarily. Researchers who study Comet
55P/Tempel-Tuttle, the source of the Leonids, say Earth is going to
pass through one or two of the comet's dusty filaments. Peak rates of
20 to 100 meteors per hour are possible during the early hours of Nov.
17th (especially 0000-0200 UT) and again during the waning hours of
Nov. 18th (around 2130 UT). These times favor sky watchers in Europe,
Africa, and Asia. Smaller numbers of Leonids could appear between the
anticipated peak times. Meteor enthusiasts everywhere should monitor
the sky on Nov. 17th and 18th; the hours before local dawn are usually
best.
EVENING PLANETS: When the sun goes down tonight, step outside and look
southwest. The two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter, are shining
through the twilight side by side. You'll want to keep an eye on these
two because they are drawing noticeably closer together every night.
Venus and Jupiter are converging on a patch of sky in Sagittarius
where they will have a spectacular double-conjunction with the Moon at
the end of the month. Don't wait until then, though.
