Monday, December 23

Leonidas 2021: everything you need to know about the most important meteor shower of the year


Los expertos estiman que podrían observarse hasta 15 meteoros por hora en su clímax.
Experts estimate that they could be observed up to 15 hourly meteors at their climax.

Photo: STAN HONDA / Getty Images

The Leonid rain is about to enter its maximum peak and it will be this week . For centuries, this meteorite fall has always been one of the most important of the year, even in previous decades the rain has left up to 30 rocks by the hour, quite a spectacle for fans.

Between 17 and 18 November Leonids will peak and typically drop about a dozen of stars every hour . However, there are times when the rain is much more intense and drops up to 30 rocks per second illuminating the night sky with shooting stars .

“The Leonids are best known for producing meteor storms over the years 1833, 1866, 1966, 1999 and 2001 ”, said the American Meteor Society (AMS) to AccuWeather .

The most impressive of the rains recorded was in 1833 called “the night the stars fell”, since the rain was so spectacular that they were observed until 100, 03 meteorites in a single hour, a single event .

It is important to note that Leonids can only be observed in large numbers when Earth passes through a region of the Solar System filled with space debris detached from the comet 55 P / Temple-Tuttle.

“Unfortunately, it seems that the Earth will not find dense clouds of debris up to 2099 ”, according to the AMS. Likewise, indicated that this year could be observed up to 15 meteors per hour if weather conditions permit .

Another important piece of information about the Leonid rain this year is that between the 17 and 18 In November there will also be a full moon, therefore, the stars will also be accompanied by a bright Moon.

Regarding the observation, the region of the Gandes Lakes will not have a good visibility of the stars due to an excess of clouds during those two nights. Identical case will affect the northern states of the Midwest and part of the Northwest.

On the other hand, the Southwest of the United States will have a good clear sky and prepared for rain. The rest of the country should have good conditions to observe the rain without problems .

After the Leonids, there will be a brief pause in the sky as the Geminids arrive in mid-December. From the 13 until the 14 December can be observed until 100 hourly meteors soaring through the night skies.

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