Leonid Meteor Shower Set to Light Up the Skies
One of the most fascinating spectacles man can behold and enjoy is meteor showers. Luckily, one is scheduled today, which is expected to light up the skies.
The view today will be a clear one, since there will be a new moon, prompting the sky to be dark and free of hindrance.
Observers, however, are told not to expect a lot of meteors, as only a rate of 10 to 15 meteors can be seen per hour. The meteors draw their nickname from the sickle star pattern, which resembles a backward question mark. Moreover, the shape forms the outline of the mane of Leo the lion, hence, the "Leonid" tag.
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Meanwhile, Vox reported that the meteor shower can be seen across the world. The Leonids appear because of the Earth's traversing the path of debris coming from the Tempel-Tuttle comet. The pieces of debris, however, are too small to reach the Earth's surface, forcing them to burn instantly upon hitting the atmosphere at a rate of 158,000 mph.
Space.com also explained that the debris of the Tempel-Tuttle comet creates a huge meteor storm once every three decades. The occurrence, in turn, results in thousands of meteors appearing at an hourly rate. Space.com noted that the years 1799, 1833, 1866, and 1966 recorded the most number of meteors seen per hour.
Interestingly, Popular Mechanics noted that Abraham Lincoln invoked the 1833 meteor shower during the civil war. "But looking back of them in the heavens I saw all the grand old constellations with which I was so well acquainted, fixed and true in their places," said the 16th president of the United States, after the people from his town thought that the world was coming to an end upon seeing the lights falling down.
"The world did not come to an end then, nor will the Union now," ended Lincoln in his speech.
