Look Skyward: The Leonid Meteor Shower

The Leonids in 2001. Image Source: Space.com.

To see the Leonids tonight or tomorrow, look eastwards between 2 and 5 a.m. EST in the direction of the constellation of Leo:

The Leonid meteor shower will peak overnight Saturday and early Sunday (Nov. 16 and 17) and is typically one of the most dependable meteor displays of the year. Astronomers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center will provide a live views of the night sky over Huntsville, Ala., beginning at nightfall.

You can watch the Leonid meteor shower webcast here, courtesy of NASA MSFC. This year, the bright moon may interfere with the meteor display, scientists say. [Gallery: Most Amazing Leonid Shower Photos]

"Unfortunately the full moon in the sky will likely wash out all but the very brightest Leonids," NASA officials explained in a skywatching guide. "Meteor rates, normally 10-20 per hour, are predicted to be less than 10 per hour. The shower should be visible from any populated area on the planet with clear dark skies, though Northern Hemisphere observers are favored due to the radiant's location in the constellation Leo."

NASA's history of the Leonid meteor shower is here. If you're in an urban area, or the southern hemisphere, or just don't want sit in the cold, see feeds from NASA (Saturday night and early Sunday morning) and Slooh (Sunday night) below the jump.  Space.com notes times for the Webcasts:

NASA will provide live views of the Leonid meteor shower peak on Saturday night and early Sunday morning (Nov. 16 and 17) in a webcast from the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. On Sunday, the community telescope group Slooh will offer live views of the Lonids and Comet ISON.

The Leonids in 2002. Image Source: Space.com.

Image Source: Universe Today.

The constellation Leo. Image Source: Starry Night Education.

The Slooh Leonid meteor shower webcast [above] will begin on Sunday night, Nov. 17, [2013] at 8 p.m. EST (0100 Nov. 18 GMT/5 p.m. PST) and will last 45 minutes.

From Slooh via Youtube: "The meteor shower, which is made of rocky bits of debris from the Comet Tempel-Tuttle, peaks every year in November. The icy comet is circling the sun and is slowly being melted by the sun's heat. It reaches the solar system once every 33 years and its long, slow disintegration has left a rocky trail millions of miles wide and hundreds of millions of miles long. Join Slooh for an all night show of the Leonid Meteor Shower. The Leonids are considered one of the more prolific meteor showers in our night skies every year. ... This November's Leonids ... will produce a more modest 40 meteors per hour, but they will still be an event worth watching. Slooh will provide an All-Sky view of the amazing peak hours of this event all through the night accompanied with expert commentary from Bob Berman."


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