Leonid Meteor Shower 2012: Peaking Pre-Dawn Through Tuesday

For another two pre-dawn mornings, the famous Leonid meteor shower is expected to peak. 

These meteors are fast (about 40 miles per second) and can leave trails of smoke, according to Astronomy.com. They will appear to radiate from the constellation Leo the Lion and can vary in color. They will be at their optimum radiance for viewing through the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday (Nov.20), night skies permitting.

"Many Leonids are also bright. Usually, the meteors are white or bluish-white, but in recent years some observers reported yellow-pink and copper-colored ones," according to Astronomy.com. In general, members of the Minnesota Astronomical Society (MAS)  say that Roseville residents need to get out the city for such meteor gazing because of light pollution from the Twin Cities.

• The MAS lists Metcalf Nature Center as a fairly good location to try to see the Leonid meteor shower because it has only moderate light pollution from the Twin Cities. It is located about 20 miles east of St. Paul.  The MAS also recommends the Onan Observatory at Baylor Regional Park in Norwood/Young America as another good viewing location,

• The University of Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics hosts Friday night public viewings, weather permitting, from 8-9:30 p.m. on the roof of Tate Laboratory of Physics during the fall 2012 semester.

Here's one of the 10 coolest things to know about the Leonids, from Space.com: "Leonids are spawned by the comet Tempel-Tuttle. Every 33 years, it rounds the Sun and then goes back to the outer solar system. On each passage across Earth's orbit, Tempel-Tuttle lays down another trail of debris..."

The Leonids shower is so-called because the meteors seem to radiate outward from the constellation Leo. The starting point, called the radiant for obvious reasons, is found in the part of Leo that looks like a backwards question mark. 

The Leonids have been called a meteor "storm" (rather than just a "shower") some years, but reports say this year will be limited to "at best 10 to 15 meteors per hour." The last Leonid storm, with thousands of shooting stars per hour, was in 2002.

A report from MSNBC says there is a reason this year's display is a bit different: there will be "two peaks of activity, one on Saturday morning and another on Tuesday morning (Nov. 20)."

What is a meteor? It's the streak of light that we see when a meteoroid enters Earth's atmosphere. The Leonids usually contain many bright meteors with trails that can be seen for several minutes. Fireballs may be seen with the naked eye.

The shower began in mid-November. To see the Leonids, lie outside in a dark place between midnight and dawn. Point your feet east and look carefully. 

To make sure you get the best view possible, remember to check the weather forecast and conditions before you head outside to watch.