Leonid Meteor Shower Peaks This Week With A Rare Overnight Sky Show

Sky-gazers around the world could be in for an impressive natural light show this week as the annual Leonid meteor shower reaches its peak. According to EarthSky, the Leonids will peak at 1 p.m. ET on Monday, but the best viewing times begin much earlier for observers across the globe.

Meteors may become visible as early as 11 p.m. Sunday local time when the constellation Leo rises above the horizon. Robert Lunsford, fireball report coordinator for the American Meteor Society, said the ideal window for viewing is between 4 a.m. Monday and sunrise. Because the Leonids have a very sharp peak, there is only one strong night for observing the event.

The parent comet of the Leonids, 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, leaves behind a relatively narrow debris trail, meaning Earth passes through the densest material for only a short period. Early meteors seen around 11 p.m. Sunday will be what astronomers call Earth grazers. These longer-lasting streaks travel across wide sections of the sky but appear in smaller numbers because much of the meteor activity occurs below the horizon at that hour.

Under clear skies, viewers can expect to see roughly 10 to 15 meteors per hour. While modest compared to some annual showers, the Leonids are historically known for producing rare and dramatic meteor storms. The last major storm occurred in 2002, but the most memorable event happened in 1966 when rates reached an astonishing estimated 40 meteors per second, creating the appearance of meteors falling like rain.

Meteor storms occur when Earth passes directly through the densest parts of the comet’s debris during the comet’s perihelion, its closest point to the sun. Because Tempel-Tuttle orbits the sun every 33 years, strong Leonid events tend to follow that same cycle. The next close alignment arrives in 2033. However, astronomers do not expect a storm that year, though rates could reach around 100 meteors per hour, similar to the Geminids.

Two more meteor showers will round out the year: the Geminids peak December 13–14, and the Ursids peak December 21–22. Sky-watchers can also look forward to the final full supermoon of the year, the Cold Moon, rising on December 4.

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