November certainly doesn’t make us miss the thrill of admiring the shooting starstonight the queens of the month arrive, the Leonids: the peak of the splendid swarm is expected on the night between 17 and 18 November. We prepare many wishes and we don’t miss out!
As the UAI explains, the great protagonist of the month is the swarm of Leonidsmeteors linked to the comet 55P/Tempel–Tuttle. The maximum is expected on the night between 17 and 18 Novemberin excellent condition this year thanks to the New Moon on the 20th: the moonlight will be minimal and the sky perfectly dark in the crucial hours (in the map the sky of November 18, 2025 at approximately 1.00 am).
The Leonids are among the most famous and fascinating showers – explain the experts – their geocentric speed, of around 71 km/s, makes them among the fastest meteors ever, capable of leaving long and persistent trails. The average ZHR is around 15–20 meteors per hour, but the Leonids are famous for their periodic outbursts, with actual meteor storms documented in 1799, 1833, 1866, 1966 and 1999, when the rate of meteors reached hundreds or even thousands per hour
In particular, these events occur when the Earth directly passes through the dense filaments of dust left by the passage of the parent comet, which in this case completes its orbit in about 33 years old.
Even if no exceptional outburst is expected in 2025, the possibility of witnessing some local increase in activity remains open, and it is worth dedicating a whole night of observation to the Leonids
Let’s prepare wishes!
Source: UAI
