Streams of interstellar particles travel all year long as Earth orbits around the sun. The ensuing meteor showers will illuminate the night sky from dusk to dawn, and you may be able to catch a sight if you're fortunate.
The next shower you will be able to see is alluded to as the Leonids. Active from Nov. 6 to Nov. 30, from Monday night to Tuesday morning, or Nov. 16 to 17, Leonid Meteor Shower is predicted to be at its height.
The Leonids are one of the most dazzling meteor showers, creating a meteor storm every few decades where people can see more than 1,000 meteors every hour. For any good luck, cross your fingers -- the last time the Leonids were that powerful was in 2002. Its parent comet is called Comet-Temple/Tuttle. It orbits the Earth every 33 years.
This year the maximum you would possibly get is around 15 streaks every hour. According to the International Meteor Association, the observing conditions may be favorable, as the moon is far from being full.
Where Meteor Showers Are Originating From
When you spot a meteor shower, what you typically see is the leftovers of an ice comet falling through the Earth's atmosphere. Comets are kind of like filthy snowballs, according to Space.com. They set behind a gritty path of rocks and ice as they pass across the solar system that lingers in space even after they leave. The pieces of debris, which may be as tiny as grains of sand, pierce the sky at such rates that they explode, providing a cosmic fireworks display when Earth moves through these cascades of comet waste.
A basic rule of thumb for meteor showers: you never see the Planet cross through the remains of the most current orbit of a comet. The burning pieces come from the prior passes, instead. For starters, you see meteors expelled during the Perseid meteor shower from when its parent comet, Comet Swift-Tuttle, visited in 1862 or earlier, not from its current approach in 1992.
That's because, according to NASA astronomer Bill Cooke, it takes time for debris from a comet's orbit to migrate into a place where it intersects with Earth's orbit.
What to Watch
Getting to a spot that provides a perfect vision of the whole night sky is ideal for seeing a meteor shower. Ideally, there would have been a black sky nearby, free from city lights and traffic. Look for a position that provides a clear, unobstructed view to optimize your chances of catching the show.
For a certain amount of time, bits and pieces of meteor showers are apparent, but on a given few days, they really peak visibly from dusk to dawn. Those days are where the path of the Planet reaches the thickest section of the interstellar current. Meteor showers may differ at their peak period, with some hitting their maximums for just a few hours and others for many weeks. After midnight just before sunrise, the showers appear to be the most visible.
Using the naked eye to detect a meteor shower is best. Binoculars or telescopes appear to restrict the range of view that you have. To help your eyes get accustomed to the decreased brightness, you would need to spend about half an hour in the dark. Stargazers should be advised that the displays may be blurred by moonlight and the atmosphere.
But whenever it occurs, the meteor live streams are typically like the ones hosted by NASA and Slooh. Also, the International Meteor Organisation identifies a selection of meteor showers that can be seen in 2020.
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