Leonid Meteor Shower Hawaii

Hawaii astronomers are predicting that the best time to view the Leonid meteor shower will be before sunrise on the morning of Nov. 17, 2009. For Hawaii meteor watchers there is probably no more anticipated show that the annual Leonid Meteor Shower which are renowned for featuring bright fireballs leaving persistent trails. Unfortunately, Hawaii is not the prime spot this year, because the Leonids peak at 6:00 PM on Nov. 17th but Leo does not rise until 1:00 AM on the 18th. One characteristic of the Leonids are unexpected peaks other than Nov. 17, so you can keep an eye on the eastern sky during the entire week.

Meteor showers occur when Earth moves through debris from a nearby comet. When a comet gets close to the sun, melting ice releases pieces of dust, most no larger than a grain of sand. For some comets Earth annually crosses paths with the orbiting debris, which burns up in our atmosphere and creates meteors. Watchers of the meteor shower might be able to see even more meteors than usual this year because the moon will be in the new moon phase, keeping the sky dark. Experts say that between 20 and 30 meteors per hour will be visible from the U.S. For sky watchers in Asia, the meteor shower might be even more impressive, with an estimated 200 to 300 meteors per hour.

Leonid events over the last decades have produced spectacular showers. The 2001 Leonids have become legendary, when on the morning of November 17th the shower became a true meteor storm, with rates of more than one thousand meteors an hour visible across the western United States and the Pacific. The sky was constantly peppered with streaks every few minutes brilliant enough to light up the landscape.