Thought to have originated from the comet Tempel-Tuttle in the constellation Leo, the Leonid meteor shower will be most visible between midnight and dawn on November 17 and November 18.
File image of the Leonid meteor shower (Image credits: solarsystem.nasa.gov)
The time between midnight and dawn on November 17th and November 18th will be the perfect time to witness the Leonid meteor shower. Since the Leonid meteorite will be more visible in the Northern Hemisphere, it will be visible even with the naked eye in India.
It’s called Leonid due to its origin – the Leo constellation – the Leonid meteor shower appears annually from November 6 to November 30 this year. Leonids’ origin is thought to be from comet Temple-Tuttle, which takes 33 years to complete one revolution around the sun.
The Leonid meteorite will be visible across India during the prime hours of Tuesday and Wednesday. The Print reports that up to 10-15 meteors will be seen every hour during the height of the Leonid meteor showers. While these meteor showers are best viewed under less polluted conditions, clear lights and the moon also allow for better visibility.
Meteor showers occur when cosmic debris, most of which are comet remnants, passes through Earth on their way to complete their journey around the sun. These meteorites are the result of a series of rocks and ice left over from massive chunks of the material we know as comets.
According to a report by CNN, Leonid’s meteor sprinklers include “fireballs” that can last longer than regular meteors. Most meteor showers get their name after the constellation they appear to have originated from. Since the people we’ll be seeing are believed to come from the constellation Leo, which is a group of stars that make up the Leo mane, they are called the Leonids.
