The annual Leonid meteor shower has long been a favorite of serious skywatchers The Leonid meteor shower has a long history of pleasing the expectant and frightening the unprepared. Each year the spectacle is unique. In that respect, this year will be no different.
The past few renditions have been among the best in the annals of the annual Leonids. This week, peaking between midnight and dawn on Wednesday, the Leonids will offer up a more challenging and modest display, coupled with the promise of dazzling but fleeting moments of brilliance.
Hopeful skywatchers will do best under dark skies away from city and suburban lights. As always, chilly temperatures will challenge the fortitude of many.
The Leonids are known for hurling a few larger-than-average bits of comet debris into Earth's atmosphere, creating streaks of light that can cast shadows. Those who stick it out will likely be rewarded, at least by a fireball or two.
In preparation, here are some little-known Leonid facts to remove the mystery both from what you might see and what you might not.
1
These Leonids are ancient history
Most of the shooting stars that will be visible in the predawn hours Wednesday will be the result of tiny bits of material, the size of sand grains or peas, blown off a comet and wafting through space for centuries.
The Leonids are spawned by the comet Tempel-Tuttle. Every 33 years, it rounds the Sun and then goes back to the outer solar system. On each passage across Earth's orbit, Tempel-Tuttle lays down another trail of debris, each in a slightly different location than previous trails.
One expected peak in this year's shower should occur when Earth passes within about 33,000 miles (53,000 kilometers) of a trail put down in 1533. That passage will be brief, centered for several minutes around 2:28 a.m. EST (7:28 GMT).
The rest of the Leonids -- anytime from midnight until dawn local time -- will come from what astronomers call the Filament, a broader stream that is the amalgam of many trails left through many centuries. All the debris continues orbiting the Sun on the same general path as the comet, but it spreads out over time.
[Leonids Full Coverage] Next: What Leonids are not
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