ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Stargazers will be in for a treat this week. The Leonid meteor shower is active each year in the month of November. It is set to reach its peak late this evening or early Friday morning. It is expected to last through the end of the month.
The shower gets its name from its radiant, or the point in the sky where the meteors seem to emerge from. It is in the constellation Leo. These are some of the fastest meteors that move through the sky. The meteors may be visible in all parts of the sky.
The Leonid shower occurs when the earth passes through debris from the comet Tempel-Tuttle. The Leonids also produce meteor storms about every 33 years, with thousands of meteors per hour. The last one occurred in 2002. This year, the shower will produce a modest 10-15 meteors per hour.
The best way to catch this spectacular show is on a clear night. Find a dark spot away from city lights, allow your eyes to adjust to the dark skies, look up and of course dress for the weather.