Captured a Leonid fireball in Sweden in 2015.
SpaceWeather.com/AndrePushche
Say what you’d do about 2020, along with a shining year in the night sky Bright comets Plenty of meteor showers continuing in November with annual appearances of Taurus and Leonids.
Southern Turrid and Northern Turid Showers are now active and produce lots of sizzle in the form of fireballs. The Southern Turid branch is already at the top, but may continue to contribute to the overall fireball count. According to the American Meteorological Society, or AMS, the Northern Reeds are expected to reach maximum activity by the night of November 11th.
Taurus is produced around this time each year when a comet 2P / NK emerges from the Earth’s cloud of debris. Our upper atmosphere is filled with tiny parts as “shooting stars,” while large bits of the celestial bar can produce more dramatic fireballs.
Meanwhile, the Leonids are only getting active this week and will be with us until the end of the month. The fountain can be found behind comet 55p / Temple-Tuttle and has put up some real shows over the centuries in the form of intense meteor storms that produce hundreds of visible meteors per hour.
AMS says it is unlikely that we will see such a hurricane in our lifetime (the most recent was in 2001), although 2030 will see a normal hurricane. This year, the Leonids offer the opportunity to see as many as 15 meteors per hour on the summit on November 16th and November 17th, while the moon’s tiny sleeve won’t interfere further. Leonids are much brighter than some fixed trains.
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To catch any Taurus or Leonids, the best strategy is to get the early morning hours as close to the respective peaks as possible. Remove yourself from light pollution if you can find the right outfit and comfortable place to return with a clear, wide view of the sky.
Next, relax, let your eyes adjust and just look. It is not necessary to focus on any particular area of the sky, but if you can find the constellations Leo and Taurus, Leonid and Taurus originate from these parts of the sky, respectively, and appear outwardly like a spokes on the wheel.
Enjoy a little fire in the sky and pass on any epic fireb photos you can catch on Twitter. Ericsson.
