Leonid meteor shower: how to watch it tonight

(CNN) – Prepare your binoculars because meteors will paint the sky with its fleeting light on Wednesday morning. Theinterspersed with meteorites Leonids reaches its peak in the early morning hours of November 17.

This meteorite has been known to have a storm every 33 years, NASA said, the last of which occurred in 2002.

Its debris originates from Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, a small comet about 3.6 kilometers across, according to NASA. He added that the comet is hurtling through space at a speed of 71 kilometers per second.

EarthSky said that spectators of the Leonid meteor, in areas of the United States where the weather will be clear, expect to see approximately 10 to 15 meteors per hour. A meteor storm has many more meteor stars than meteor showers — at least 1,000 per hour, according to NASA.

How to monitor a meteor shower

The moon is unfortunately in a convex phase at the height of the night, which means that much of the moon will be visible. The bright light will make it difficult to see meteors crossing the sky.

For the best viewing conditions, go to a dark, light-free area. According to EarthSky, lunar-covered skies are best. EarthSky said if the moon is visible, wait until dawn to look for meteors because at that point the moon will have set.

If there is a large layer of clouds, you may not see anything. “Cloud cover will spread across the Great Lakes and the Midwest, extending into the Central Plains overnight through Wednesday morning,” CNN meteorologist Monica Jarrett said.

The sky will be clear in the south. west, west of the Rocky Mountains; and northeast along the coast.

Don’t worry if you miss the peak of the Leonid meteor shower. This will last until November 30, according to NASA.

There is more meteor showers Which you can see for the rest of 2021, according to the EarthSky Sky 2021 meteor shower guide:

December 13-14: Gemini

December 22: Ursidas

Solar eclipse and lunar eclipse

This year, there will be another solar and another lunar eclipse, according to the old farmer’s calendar.

a Partial lunar eclipse It will take place on November 19, and skywatchers in North America and Hawaii will be able to see it between 1 a.m. ET and 7:06 a.m. ET.

The last month of the year will begin with a total solar eclipse on December 4. It won’t be visible in North America, but it will be visible in the Falkland Islands, the southern tip of Africa, Antarctica and southeast Australia.

Visible planets

Sky watchers will have multiple opportunities to spot planets in our skies on designated mornings and nights for the remainder of 2021, according to the Planetary Guide for Farmers.

Most of them can be seen with the naked eye, except for Neptune, but using binoculars or a telescope will provide the best view.

Mercury will shine in the night sky from November 29 to December 31.

Venus, our closest neighbor in the Solar System, will appear in the western sky at dusk until December 31. It is the second brightest object in our sky after the moon.

Mars will make its reddish appearance in the morning sky between November 24 and December 31.

Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, is, when visible, the third brightest object in our sky. Look for it in the evening until December 31.

Saturn’s rings can only be seen through a telescope, but the planet itself can still be seen with the naked eye in the evenings between now and December 31.

Binoculars or telescopes will help you locate the greenish glow of Uranus at night until December 31.

And our farthest neighbor in the solar system, Neptune, will be visible through the telescope during the nights until December 31.