Leonid meteor shower will peak this week, and a dozen meteors an hour could be visible

Maddie Capron
·1 min read

Want to see shooting stars? You could see nearly a dozen every hour this week.

The Leonid meteor shower is active from Nov. 6 to Nov. 30 each year, according to NASA. But the best chance to see it is this week.

The meteor shower will peak overnight Monday into early Tuesday morning, according to Space.com.

In some years, the Leonids can produce “meteor storms,” where meteors fall by the thousands. This year, however, that isn’t likely.

“These meteor storms only happen rarely, but viewers this year will see more Leonid meteors than in 2019, because the thin, crescent moon will be only 5% illuminated during the night of the peak,” Space.com reported.

The moon will be in a “waxing crescent phase” during 2020’s peak, according to EarthSky. The lack of the moon in the sky will give stargazers a better chance to see the meteors.

With the lack of moon, some people may even see fireballs, NASA said.

“Leonids are also known for their fireballs and earthgrazer meteors. Fireballs are larger explosions of light and color that can persist longer than an average meteor streak,” NASA said. “This is due to the fact that fireballs originate from larger particles of cometary material.”

The best time to see the meteor shower is “at about midnight local time,” according to NASA.

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