Leonid Meteor Shower

The Leonids are one of the better known annual meteor showers. Some years see high Leonid activity, with amazing numbers of meteors. This shower has occasionally created true meteor storms. Unfortunately 2014 is not predicted to be one of those years, with very modest numbers expected.

The shower will peak on November 17 around 22:00UT, with an expected ZHR of around 15 meteors per hour. While this occurs in the middle of the day for the islands, the Leonids exhibit a broad peak allowing viewing for days before and after maximum. Moonlight should not be a problem with a thin waning crescent in the sky.

Due to the gravitational influence of Jupiter, the Leonids are not expected to produce any exceptional showers for some decades. We are unlikely to see any repeats of the early 21st century storms anytime soon.