a spectacular shower of shooting stars expected from midnight
During the passing of shooting stars last August. Miguel MEDINA / AFP
These comet dust will be visible during the night from Friday to Saturday, and until dawn. To see them in the best conditions, you will have to move away from the cities.
A new shower of shooting stars can be observed in the sky, during the night of Friday November 17 to Saturday November 18, during a peak in activity of the Leonid meteors, NASA indicated in particular. Fifteen meteors per hour may be visible. “Leonids are bright meteors, which can also be colorful. They are also fast : the Leonids move at a speed of 71 kilometers per second», Details NASA.
To see this shower of shooting stars in the best conditions, you must move away from the light pollution of urban centers, and orient yourself “feet towards the East“, advises NASA. “Lie on your back and look up, admiring as much of the sky as possible. In less than 30 minutes, in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will start seeing meteors.» The Leonids will only be visible from midnight. The peak intensity should occur at the very end of the night, shortly before dawn.
Every 33 years
Such a “Leonid storm» can be experienced approximately every 33 years, according to the American organization. How to explain this shower of shooting stars? In reality, these are not stars strictly speaking, but dust which vaporizes upon entering the atmosphere, “creating a fleeting light line», Indicates the website of the Cité de l’espace de Toulouse. This dust comes from a comet, which disintegrates as it approaches Earth. They then become luminous, giving this illusion of a rain of stars.
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