Leonids meteor shower

News & Press: Natural world

17 November 2022 (0 Comments)

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The Leonid meteors may be seen from 6 to 30 November, but peak on the 17/18th.

The space rubble responsible for the shower comes from the Comet Tempel-Tuttle, the dust-sized particles entering the atmosphere at around 70 km/sec. There can be up to 15 meteors per hour at its peak.

The meteors can appear in any part of the sky but if traced back, appear to come from the constellation of Leo - hence the name 'Leonids'. The best time to look for them is between midnight and dawn.

Further details from the Royal Observatory