|
|
Posted November 17, 2009
by
|
![]() |
This iReport is part of an assignment:
Light Years: Your views of space and stars |
Leonid Meteor Phenomena Visible Until Nov. 21
Last night I was up until 2 a.m. and wasn't able to view the meteor shower. I was extremely disappointed.
However, good news comes from the science community, star gazers have until November 21st!!
(CBS) Star gazers are in paradise.
The Leonid meteor shower reached peak activity over North America in the pre-dawn hours Tuesday but the cosmic light show will continue until Nov. 21, giving dedicated observers or more casual fans the chance to catch a glimpse.
The greatest activity can be seen in Asia - nearly 200 to 300 per hour, Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office told Space.com. America was expected to see 20 to 30 per hour by comparison.
The meteor shower occurs as the Earth slams into remnants of the comet Tempel-Tuttle, which, according to Science.com, passes through the inner solar system every 33 years. The comet's debris, mostly of ice and rocks the size of a grain of sand, is slamming into the Earth's atmosphere at around 160,000 miles per hour, creating a multi-colored light show for skywatchers.
Experts suggest rural areas, away from city or town lights, is optimal for viewing the phenomena. The meteor shower can be seen in the northern hemisphere.
- TAGS:
- space,
- astronaut
- GROUPS:
- CNN International,
- Tech and science
What do you think of this story?
iReport welcomes a lively discussion, so comments on iReports are not pre-screened before they post. See the iReport community guidelines for details about content that is not welcome on iReport.



Comments