On Tuesday, the Leonid meteor shower is predicted to show over the United States and Asia. NASA is predicting the show over the US to be at a rate of 20-30 meteors per hour, starting about 4am ET, and ten times that rate over Asia.
Debris from the Tempel-Tuttle comet is what will provide us with this show. The Tempel-Tuttle comet comes through our inner solar system every 33 years and leaves the trail of debris behind it, giving the inhabitants of our planet a mild fireworks show.
While NASA can predict when Earth’s orbit will take it through this debris trail with some accuracy, forecasting the intensity of show isn’t possible, since scientists don’t know how much debris will be there. High-altitude viewing areas will be best, as the glare from the moon will be reduced.
To see the show, people should go to areas with little city light, as the meteors will be more easily visible with less light in the sky. The comet will appear as if it’s coming right out of the planet Mars.
Next Tuesday, more meteors will be viewable over Indonesia and China, just before dawn.
These meteor streams actually were created in 1466 and 1533. Both of these streams crossing Earth at the same time is why there are so many expected to be seen. NASA predicts this will be “one of the best showers of the year.”