November Night Sky

As I pointed out in an earlier post, November is a busy month for us astronomy nerds.  November also brings the Leonid meteor shower. The 2022 Leonids will be a moderate meteor shower for most of the month of November delivering 10 to 15 shooting stars per hour.  The peak display will be the evening of November 18.  A waning crescent moon should also keep the night sky relatively dark.

The meteors originate when the orbital path of the earth collides with the debris left behind by
comets. These bits and pieces of comet detritus enter the earth’s atmosphere with the resulting vaporization creating the streaks of light we call meteors.

The debris associated with the comet Tempel-Tuttle results in this November display. Like other meteor showers, this one will be best viewed after midnight. Turn your gaze toward the
constellation Leo the Lion, where the shooting stars appear to emanate.

Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo the Lion, dots a backwards question mark of stars known as the Sickle. If you trace all the “shooting stars” from the Leonid meteor shower backward, they appear to radiate from this area of the sky.  A dark rural location with minimal light pollution provides for optimal viewing opportunities.

Tempel-Tuttle is a periodic visitor that will return in 2031.  it is worthy of mention that the Leonids can be stunning on rare occasions. With the reappearance of Tempel-Tuttle every 33 years the debris left in its wake can result in meteors up to a rate of 1000 an hour! 2001 was a very good November and 1966 was breathtaking.

The best time for observation is just before dawn after the moon has set. 

Fingers-crossed for cold, clear viewing conditions and early rising if you have to get out of bed to pee.....