Leonids meteor showers (Nov 12 - 23 annually)

The peak of Leonids visibility is around November 17. There is a spike every 33 years above the normal levels of about 50 'shooting stars' an hour.

The years 1799, 1833 and 1866, 1900 and 1966 all had spectacular Leonid displays, and the show of 1998 was described by one American observer as "jaw-dropping", with fireballs and some 'shooting stars' as big as Venus and brighter than the Moon.

Probably the best one on record was the famous one of 1833 (pictured at right; see November 12). However, in 902, Chinese astronomers reported that "stars fell like rain" and Egyptians declared it 'the year of the stars'. One wonders if the Leonids were the 'Tears of Isis' that we discussed on November 13.

Categories: astronomy, astrology