I had hoped to watch the Leonid meteor shower last night but a heavy cloud cover foiled that plan. The Leonids, which grace the night sky between November 16 and November 19, are caused by remnant debris from the Tempel-Tuttle comet, which orbits the sun every 33 years. Their name reflects the fact that they seem to radiate from the Leo constellation.
While I missed the Leonid show, I know that I can observe meteors on any night of the year. As earth hurtles through space, it is constantly impacting debris from past comet excursions. These particles, which range in size from grains of sand to small pebbles, enter earth's atmosphere at 37 miles per second, superheating the air and producing the brilliant streak that we see in the night sky. While most meteorites vaporize in the atmosphere, an estimated 25 million strike the earth each day, adding 100 tons to our planet's mass.
Meteor viewing is best on moonless nights, away from the urban glare. Anyone who has traveled across the Great Plains or High Desert knows how spectacular the night sky can be. I'll have to head out there to watch the Perseid shower in August.
