The Leonid Meteor Shower peaks this weekend in Metro Vancouver skies, and the weather forecast is predicting clear, sunny skies all weekend long.
What's more, this meteor shower promises a spectacular display. Not only will stargazers observe the greatest number of meteors during the shower's peak, but they are privy to an exceptionally bright display.
Silhouette of young couple watching Meteor Shower / Shutterstock
"Unlike most other meteoroid streams, which contain only minuscule bits of dust and ice, the stream for the Leonids also contains many gravel-sized bits. When these pebbles hit Earth's atmosphere, they produce very bright meteors in the night sky, known as fireballs," reports The Weather Network.
As a result, Vancouverites will spot these exceptionally bright objects during the late evening of Saturday, November 17; however, the moon is half-full right now so there may be some competing brightness in the sky.
Leonid Meteor Shower
"Under ideal dark-sky conditions, a single observer can expect to see about 10 to 15 of these ultraswift meteors each hour. They ram into our upper atmosphere at 45 miles (72 kilometers) per second — faster than any other meteor shower," explains Space.
As a result of their speed, these dazzling meteors leave visible trails. With that being said, stargazers should still opt to travel as far away from city lights as possible in order to avoid light pollution that will obscure the clarity of heavenly bodies. While this works best in more remote places, anywhere that has a higher elevation will also provide more ideal viewing conditions.
