Leonids Meteor Shower peaks tonight – the best time to see fireballs from the UK

If you are a fan of stargazing, be sure to book this evening in your diary.

Tonight, the Leonid meteor shower will peak, giving you the perfect opportunity to see fireballs from the UK.

Leonids are considered to be a large rain, with around 15 meteors per hour.

Tonight they will peak shortly after midnight, with the best view until dawn tomorrow morning.

NASA advised: “Leonids are best seen starting at midnight local time. Find an area well away from city lights or street lights.

“Prepare for winter temperatures with a sleeping bag, blanket or garden chair. Orient yourself with your feet to the east, lie on your back and look up, observing as much of the sky as possible.

“In less than 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adjust and you will start seeing meteors. Be patient: the show will last until dawn, so you will have plenty of time to take a look. “

Leonids come from remaining particles of Comet 55P / Tempel-Tuttle.

NASA explained: “The pieces of space debris that interact with our atmosphere to create the Leonids come from Comet 55P / Tempel-Tuttle. Comet Tempel-Tuttle takes 33 years to orbit the sun once. “

These fireballs appear to radiate from the constellation Leo, although it’s actually best to look away from this constellation, according to NASA.

He added: “You shouldn’t just look at the constellation Leo to see the Leonids – they are visible all over the night sky. It is actually better to see the Leonids away from the radiant – they will appear longer and more spectacular from this perspective.

“If you look directly at the radian, you will find that the meteors will be short: this is a perspective effect called foreshortening.”

If you miss the Leonid Meteor Shower tonight, luckily there are two more showers scheduled before the end of the year.

The Geminids will peak from December 13-14, while the Ursids will peak from December 21-22.