BANGKOK: The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) said on Thursday (Nov 16) that people should keep an eye out for the Leonid meteor shower that will light up the eastern skies from after midnight on Friday (Nov 17) to early Saturday morning.
It is estimated that the Leonid shower will see as many as 15 meteors an hour fall to Earth from 1am onwards, said NARIT in a facebook post.
Weather conditions will also be optimal for viewing, thanks to a cloudless sky with no moonlight, it added.
The Leonid meteor shower this year will be centred around the Leo constellation, to the east of the sky, and can be observed with the naked eye, NARIT said.
For the best experience, the agency advises stargazers to let their eyes become accustomed to the dark about 30 minutes before viewing the meteor shower. Photographers are advised to use a wide-angle lens to capture the whole horizon as the meteor shower’s direction is unpredictable.
The meteor shower is caused by the tail of the 55P/Tempel-Tuttle comet remaining in the earth’s orbit. Meteors could fall to earth at the speed of 71 kilometres per second.
Leonid is the brightest meteor shower that can be observed on Earth and is therefore called ‘the King of Meteor Showers”. - The Nation/ANN
