Startling streaks of light will brighten up the sky with the Leonid meteor shower on Tuesday night. Sky gazers are expected to see shooting stars whizzing past in the skies at an amazing rate as Leonid meteor shower will be seen on the night of November 17 and 18, SPACE President CB Devgun said.
Startling streaks of light will brighten up the sky with the Leonid meteor shower on Tuesday night. Sky gazers are expected to see shooting stars whizzing past in the skies at an amazing rate as Leonid meteor shower will be seen on the night of November 17 and 18, SPACE President CB Devgun said.
Leonids are a prolific meteor showers associated with the comet 55p/Tempel-Tuttle, he said, adding that it is visible every year around November 17 when the Earth passes through the stream of debris of the comet.
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"As the night progresses, the number of meteors is expected to rise and if the forecast timings are accurate, it may peak between 0304 hrs and 0314 hrs of November 18 and may have hundreds per hour. But this year, the meteors will be much faster and of short duration," Devgun said.
"The Indian subcontinent is best placed for the spectacle this year and one can expect a strong outburst (during the peak), where the rates may race up to 300 per hour," Indian Institute of Astrophysics scientist RC Kapoor said.
The name Leonids is given as the point of origin of the shower, lies in the direction of the constellation of Leo. Leonid showers are famous for being among the most spectacular fire works in the night sky since long.
The great Leonids meteor storm seen in the year 1833 has become a legend for the great strength it showed up with. It was followed with similar ones in 1866 and 1867. However, in 1998 the showers were much below expectation.
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