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APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
The Leonid Meteor Shower (Tonight)
Explanation: Explanation : Tonight thousands of icy rocks will hurl toward Earth in a fascinating display of light called the Leonid Meteor Shower . There is little danger - few will reach the ground. But this year's Leonids could be nothing compared to the Leonids in 1998 . Then, the Leonids might rival any meteor storm this century , with peak rates possibly toping 40 per second. Meteor showers result from debris left by passing comets . The Leonids specifically are small pieces of Comet Tempel-Tuttle . In the above series of time-lapse, 1-minute exposures , a 1995 Leonid is seen to leave a train of hot air that glowed persistently for several minutes.
| Date | November 16, 1996 |
|---|---|
| Credit |
The Leonid Meteor Shower (Tonight) Credit: P. Jenniskens (NASA /Ames) |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |