Leonids meteor shower visible this month

MANILA, Philippines - Astronomy buffs should watch out for the Leonids meteor showers this month.

The Leonids is active from Nov. 6 to 30, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the other day.

“A zenithal hourly rate of about 10 meteors might occur in the late hours of Nov. 17 until dawn of the following day,” PAGASA said.

“Its radiant is in the constellation Leo and meteors from this shower can be seen over a period of about two days, centered on approximately the early morning hours of Nov. 18 as seen in the eastern section of the sky.”

PAGASA said the Leonids meteor shower is created by bits of debris left behind by the repeat passages through the inner solar system of comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle.

Unlike the previous years where it produced hundreds of meteors, astronomers and experts do not predict many meteors this year, PAGASA added.

The website www.space.com said the Leonids has not only produced some of the best meteor showers in history, but they have sometimes achieved the status of meteor storm.

“During a Leonids meteor storm, many thousands of meteors per hour can shoot across the sky,” the website said.

Scientists believe these storms recur in cycles of about 33 years, though the reason is unknown. The last documented Leonid meteor storm occurred in 2002.