Leonid meteor shower expected this weekend

COLOMBO: Though the accurate prediction of meteor shower peaks is bit difficult, the Leonid meteor shower which occur annually around November 18 or 19, according to the predictions made by astronomers, could produce a strong outburst on tomorrow at 10.15 a.m.

The outburst may last up to two hours.

The shower is best seen for residents of eastern North America and Western Europe, states the Arthur C. Clarke Institute of Modern Technologies in a press release.

Though the peak activity with 100-150 meteors per hour is not visible to Sri Lanka at it occurs in day time to us, a few spectacular meteors of fire balls could be seen in the Sri Lankan skies on Sunday morning November 19 as well as on Monday morning November 20 at pre-dawn hours.

The event continues for several days after the peak with display of a few meteors per each hour. If the sky is dark and clear with no clouds you will never miss the appearance of a shooting star if you watch the sky for about 15-30 minutes duration at dawn on any day around November 19, said Dr. Chandana Jayaratne, Consultant on Astronomy to the Arthur C. Clark Institute for Modern Technologies and Senior lecturer in Physics, University of Colombo.

These Leonids are the debris left behind by a periodic comet called Comet Temple-Tuttle which orbits around the sun once in every 33 years.