Leonid meteor shower 2022 to peak Thursday night

  • The Leonids appear to be coming from the constellation Leo the Lion.
  • The meteors are actually tiny pea- and sand-sized bits of dust and debris crumbling off the Tempel-Tuttle comet.
  • Onlookers could see anywhere from 50 to 200 meteors per hour.

Skywatchers, rejoice! The Leonid meteor shower, an annual mid-November treat, will be coming to a sky near you later this week.

The meteor shower is expected to peak on the night of Thursday Nov. 17-18, but could also be visible Friday night, Nov. 18-19, astronomers said.  

The Leonids appear to be coming from the constellation Leo the Lion (hence their name) in the east, but they should be visible all the way across the sky.

The meteors are actually tiny pea- and sand-sized bits of dust and debris crumbling off the Tempel-Tuttle comet as it swings by the Earth. (Earth’s orbit takes it straight through the debris trail.) The dust and debris ignites when it hits our atmosphere.

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