EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Leonids meteor shower is coming up this weekend, with spectators able to watch shooting stars sparkle on the night of Nov. 17. The shower will be in its peak the morning of Nov. 18 as the earth rotates into the sunrise. Viewers can expect to see meteors at a rate of 15 per hour.
Shannon Schmoll, director of the Abrams Planetarium, said this specific meteor shower occurs annually due to leftover debris from the comet Tempel Tuttle.
“These are occurring at the same time every year because it’s leftover material from, usually, comets that cross Earth’s orbit at some point in the past.”
Next month, the Geminids meteor shower will be visible, with a greater showing than the Leonids. Meteors can be seen at a rate of 150 meteors per hour with this shower.
Olivia Stout, an astronomy student at Michigan State, said seeing a meteor shower is unique experience she is excited to have.
“You never know how often they’ll come around. When the opportunity comes up, like now I have the opportunity to most likely this weekend go see that,” Stout said.