Leonid Meteor Shower

The Leonid meteor shower is an annual meteor event that begins around November 13th and falls until around 21st, with the majority of its activity taking place on or around November 17. The shower is exceptionally punctual in arriving and can be seen for consecutive days depending on location and weather.http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/11/17/catch-it-if-you-can-leonid-meteor-shower-continues-tonight/The meteor showers are the result of leftover comet particles from the comet known as Tempel-Tuttle.http://leonids.arc.nasa.gov/comet.html

While past meteor showers have resulted in around 500 meteors per hour, spectators viewing in dark places can expect to see between 15 and 20 meteors per hour, provided visibility is suitable, after the gibbous moon. Moon and star light typically hinder the ability to view the phenomenon. The shower can best be seen from Asia, away from city lights.http://meteorshowersonline.com/leonids.html Each 33 years, the Meteor Shower enters a period of increased activity. Most recently, this period existed between 1998 and 2002. Since then, the occurrence have been abating annually.http://meteorshowersonline.com/leonids.html

The Leonid meteor shower was first discovered on November 12-13, 1833 which also marks the beginning of meteor astronomy. The event, the first documented in history, was dubbed by some observers as Armageddon. The Leonid meteor shower can be used to identify Leo, its namesake, by mentally tracking the meteors backward to their origin. Online charts also provide illustrations and instructions for locating the constilation.http://meteorshowersonline.com/leonids.html

There are six other annual major meteor showers that can be seen from earth.

1. Quadrantid (January)
2. Lyrids (April)
3. Eta Aquarids (May)
4. Perseids (August)
5. Orionids (October)
6. Geminids (December)http://stardate.org/nightsky/meteors/ 2008