{"id":135433,"date":"2025-11-14T23:14:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T23:14:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/135433\/"},"modified":"2025-11-14T23:14:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T23:14:08","slug":"leonid-meteor-shower-to-reach-peak-soon-with-bright-fireballs-low-moonlight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/135433\/","title":{"rendered":"Leonid meteor shower to reach peak soon with bright fireballs, low moonlight"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bright fireballs may be streaking across the night sky in the coming days as the annual Leonid meteor shower<\/a> reaches its peak at an almost perfect time when the moonlight will be very low.<\/p>\n

The Leonid shower<\/a>, known as one of the best meteor displays of the autumn season because of its vivid shooting stars, started to be visible on Nov. 3 and will continue to produce occasional meteors through Dec. 2.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s expected to be most active during the late-night hours on Sunday, Nov. 16 and into the early morning hours on Monday, Nov. 17.<\/p>\n

Experts say the Leonid shower could generate as many as 10 to 15 meteors per hour during the peak period, if you can find an area with dark skies and little or no cloud cover. <\/p>\n

The ideal viewing spot is as far away as possible from bright city lights and street lights.<\/p>\n

The November moon<\/a> will be in its waning crescent phase, giving off only 11% illumination on Sunday<\/a> and just 6% brightness on Monday. <\/p>\n

Space.com<\/a> says the Leonids are among the fastest meteors of any major shower, \u201czipping through the sky at 44 miles per second.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Leonids \u201ccan also result in impressive fireballs producing long, bright and colorful meteor streaks,\u201d the space website notes.<\/p>\n

\"LeonidMeteors, also known as shooting stars, are actually tiny particles left over from comets or asteroids. The Leonid meteor shower becomes visible when our planet passes through the field of debris left behind by a comet called 55P\/Tempel-Tuttle.AccuWeatherWhat causes meteors?<\/p>\n

Some meteors come from leftover comet particles, and some originate from tiny bits of broken asteroid pieces, NASA says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen comets come around the sun, the dust they emit gradually spreads into a dusty trail around their orbits,\u201d the agency adds. \u201cEvery year the Earth passes through these debris trails, which allows the bits to collide with our atmosphere where they disintegrate to create fiery and colorful streaks in the sky.\u201d<\/p>\n

The meteors from the Leonid meteor shower become visible when our planet passes through the field of debris left behind by a comet known as 55P\/Tempel-Tuttle. <\/p>\n

Space.com says that comet has a \u201chighly elliptical orbit around the sun every 33 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

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