Leonid Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight - 2nd last chance to see it in this century

[Longasc]

Tonight marks the return of the Leonid meteor shower. The heavenly show is expected to peak at 1:40 a.m. ET on Friday for sky-watchers in North America. The spectacle looks to be the second-to-last chance to see the shower in this century.
The Leonids, which recur each November, had a spectacular run between 1999 and 2002. The meteor showers of those years approached the intensity of "meteor storms," a threshold generally marked when viewers can see a thousand meteors an hour.

"Those terrific years have passed, and we're now back to a more normal level," said Kelly Beatty, executive editor of Sky and Telescope magazine and editor of Night Sky magazine. "Still, at a good dark site, you might see 15 [meteors] per hour."

A second peak, also on the 19th, will treat Asian observers to some 60 meteors per hour.


Read the full story:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/11/1118_041118_meteor_shower_leonids.html

 

[Amenhotep7]

Ooh! Then I'm gonna have to stay up till 1:40, now am I? O wait... The city lights will probably obscure them, will they?

 

[Cheetah]

Maybe.

Is there no way to see it from Europe Langasc?

 

[Longasc]

you can see them in Europe, too. I was told to look east at midnight. Just use the Google News Toolbar, type in "Leoniden" / "Leonids" depending on your language and get useful advice.

 

[MarineCorps]

That article was posted on the 18th of this month. Is it not a little late to say it will peak tonight or am I missing something?

 

[Longasc]

Hehe, well noticed, but do not worry, you can still see them till around the 21th.

At night - of course. I am just preparing for the Leonids. You know, every shooting star makes one secret wish become true, I expect around 50...

 

[PlutonianEmpire]

15 meteors per hour? What a wimp! A good meteor shower (to me) is something like 80 meteors a MINUTE! (Because I'm the impatient type.)

 

[Esckey]

and as usual it's cloudy here. I swear mother nature must have it in for me

 

[Quasar1011]

The spectacle looks to be the second-to-last chance to see the shower in this century.
The Leonids, which recur each November, had a spectacular run between 1999 and 2002. The meteor showers of those years approached the intensity of "meteor storms," a threshold generally marked when viewers can see a thousand meteors an hour.

You contradicted yourself. The Leonid meteor shower does occur each November, as you said. So why is it our second-to-last chance to see it this century? It will occcur 95 more times this century!

I think what you meant to say, was Leonids that approached meteor storm frequency, would not return for quite awhile.

 

[Longasc]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonids

Now add 33 years and some more 33 years... do you get it?