Article Photos

Those interested in stargazing could get a show the next couple of nights as the Leonid meteor shower should be visible if the sky is clear.

The meteor shower, which is essentially a display of "shooting stars" every few minutes, will be most visible during the early-morning hours of Tuesday and Wednesday between 3:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m, said Marc Staves, president of the Adirondack Public Observatory in Tupper Lake, who said we could see between 10 to 60 meteors per hour. The meteor shower is expected to last from about 1 a.m. to dawn.

Scientists are forecasting that the Asian part of the Earth should see the most meteors, but what we do see here should be very visible because we are in the new moon phase. That means the sky should be especially dark, which could make viewing the meteors relatively spectacular. The only drawback is that if there are clouds in the sky tonight, it will obviously obscure the view, but early Wednesday morning the sky is forecast to be clear.

"We're in prime conditions for viewing it because what typically happens if they end or land on or near a full moon. ... That can really diminish the intensity of it because the light that you're seeing with the meteor is competing with the moonlight so they are not as spectacular as they are with being in a new moon," Staves said.

Staves said most people don't realize that what they are seeing in the sky is actually very small.

"Almost any meteor appears like a bright flash, but keep in mind what you're actually seeing is something that can be the size of a grain of sand," Staves said. "They are extremely small. It's not until you get to the larger chunks, grapefruit size and larger, that things really start getting interesting."

The meteors will appear to come from the direction of the constellation Leo the lion, after it rises in the early morning hours, said Adirondack Mountain Club Interpretative Programs Coordinator Matt Maloney.

"From our perspective on Earth, that's where they appear to emanate from," Maloney said. "They are in the backdrop. They appear that they are coming out of it."

The meteor shower is a result of a comet entering the inner solar system. The comet won't be visible, but some of its debris will.

"What happens is there's a comet that comes through every 33 years that is called Tempel-Tuttle, and it leaves a debris trail, and this year we'll be passing through two portions of it," Staves said. "The first portion should be around 4 a.m. on the morning of (Tuesday). There's a second trail that will be passing through a little bit later on. It's going to be more in the Asian sphere area in that portion."

Maloney said that to celebrate the Leonid meteor shower his organization will be hosting a stargazing program at the Adirondak Loj on Heart Lake Tuesday night from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

The program will include the possible viewing of the planets Jupiter and Mars. At about 1 a.m., they'll start looking for the meteor shower. In between viewing the sky, Maloney will talk about the mythology of stars and basic astronomy. There will also be a fire, snacks and refreshments. The event, along with parking, is free and open to the public.

But for those who want to enjoy the show from their home, all they'll need are a "lawn chair, blanket and a hot cup of coffee," Staves said.

---

Contact Mike Lynch at 891-2600 ext. 28 or mlynch@adirondackdailyenterprise.com.