Popular astronomy events for November 2023
From close encounters with Jupiter to famous meteor showers, here are November’s top astronomical events.
Meteor lovers, your annual mid-November treat is just around the corner.
The peak of the Leonid meteor shower will cross the sky on the night of November 17-18, 2023. This annual spectacle occurs as Earth passes through a field of debris left behind by a meteor shower. Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle.
This year, you might see 10 to 15 meteors per hour under the dark sky after the moon sets. earth sky Said.
The Leonid meteor shower appears to be coming from the eastern constellation Leonid (hence its name), but it should be visible all the way across the sky.
When is the Leonid meteor shower?
This year, the Leonid meteor shower will begin its activity on November 3rd and will continue until December 2nd.
However, to see the peak of the shower, you’ll need to “look from late night on November 17th until dawn on November 18th.” EarthSky’s Deborah Bird Said. The morning of November 17th may also be worth it.
What is the Leonids meteor shower?
Meteors are actually tiny pieces of dust and debris, about the size of peas or sand, that break off from Comet Tempel-Tuttle as it swings by Earth. (Earth’s orbit passes directly through the debris path.) Dust and debris ignite when they hit the atmosphere.
“Comets leave behind dust in their orbits as they orbit the sun,” he said. Theodore Caleta,doctor student lowell observatory Located in Flagstaff, Arizona.
“Meteor showers occur when the Earth crosses one of these comet dust trails and that dust burns up in the atmosphere. Where it crosses, and when it happens are all factors in determining where you see it, when you see it, and whether the meteor shower is really great or a real meteor shower.”
Where can you see the Leonid meteor shower?
“People should look east from dark sky locations. Think national forests, state parks and other locations away from large cities,” Kaleta said.
“If you’re looking to see meteors with the naked eye, you have to give your eyes time to adjust. Some meteors are dark, so in addition to finding a dark spot to stare at at night,” he says. You should also give your eyes 20 to 30 minutes to adjust to the dark environment. ”
Fortunately for sky watchers, Leonid meteor showers are often bright meteors with a high percentage of continuous trains. American Meteor Society.
The Leonid meteor shower caused a “storm” of meteors
Some of the largest meteor showers ever observed are the Leonids. In a few years, they became a full-fledged meteor “storm”. The Leonid meteor shower of 1833 produced meteors at a staggering rate of 100,000 meteors per hour. earth sky Said.
More recently, “the rate was as high as thousands of meteors per occurrence.” minutes “On the morning of November 17, 1966, there was a brief 15-minute rain shower of Leonids,” Bird said.
When is the next meteor shower?
Two more meteor showers will occur in 2023.
- Geminid meteor shower: From November 19th to December 24th, peaking from December 13th to 14th.
- Urinidae: December 13th to 24th, peak period December 21st to 22nd.