Leonid meteor shower

What is it?

November’s wonderful Leonid meteor shower happens every year at this time, as our world moves through space.

The Leonids are a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Tempel-Tuttle.

It occurs when Earth crosses the orbital path of Comet Tempel-Tuttle,

which, like all comets, litters its orbit with bits of debris. It’s when this comet debris enters Earth’s atmosphere, and vaporizes, that we see the Leonid meteor shower.

The Leonids get their name from the location of their radiant in the constellation Leo: the meteors appear to radiate from that point in the sky.

Northern hemisphere

Southern hemisphere