The Leonid meteor shower is coming

The Leonids appear to be coming from the constellation Leo the Lion (hence their name) in the east, but they should be visible all the way across the sky.

Estimates range from seeing a few meteors up to dozens per hour at the peak, Astronomy magazine reports. Leonids are rather speedy, striking Earth’s atmosphere at a whopping 158,000 mph, the fastest of any meteor shower.

As with most meteor showers, the best time to watch the Leonids is usually between the hours of midnight and dawn, according to earthsky.org. Some good news from NASA: The waning crescent moon should leave skies dark enough for a decent show.

The expected peak mornings are Nov. 17 and 18. (That’s the mornings — not the evenings — of the 17th and 18th.)


[link to www.khou.com]