Friday, November 15, 2019

Nov 15 - Leonid Meteor Shower in 2019

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This isn't a Leonid meteor. It's an Orionid. But - as this photo by Eliot Herman in Tucson, Arizona shows - you can sometimes catch a meteor in moonlight, assuming the meteor is bright enough. Thanks, Eliot! Read more.

All you need to know: 2019's Leonid meteor shower

November's wonderful Leonid meteor shower is active from about November 6 to 30 each year.  The peak is expected in 2019 on the night of November 17 (morning of November 18). The shower happens as our world crosses the orbital path of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. Like many comets, Tempel-Tuttle litters its orbit with bits of debris. It's when this cometary debris enters Earth's atmosphere and vaporizes that we see the Leonid meteors. In 2019, a waning gibbous moon will light up the sky during the shower's peak. In a dark sky, absent of moonlight, you can see up to 10 to 15 meteors per hour at the peak. In 2019's moonlit sky? We can't predict, but some of the brighter meteors should be visible in moonlight. Read more.

Friday's spacewalk is underway

Click in to learn how to watch astronauts aboard the International Space Station perform the 1st in a series of spacewalks NASA is calling the most complex in a decade.

Some microbes eat electricity

Scientists have discovered that certain microbes get energy from electrical charges. What’s more, it turns out that these microbes are very common. You'll like this video. Watch here.

What we're watching

From TV6 in upper Michigan ... Rare 3-antlered deer captured on camera

As deer season opens today in Michigan, people across the U.S. are marveling at a photo of a very rare deer. Former State Representative Steve Lindberg of Michigan snapped the photo of this 3-antlered deer on Sunday. He's keeping its location a secret, hoping it stays safe. See it and read more.

EarthSky lunar calendars are back in stock. Order now!

We're guaranteed to sell out. They make awesome holiday gifts. Your support means the world to us and helps us keep going. Purchase here.

Venus and Jupiter look amazing after sunset!

They are the 2 brightest planets, and they're near each other now in the west after sunset … and getting nearer. Their positions with respect to each other will shift and change, but Venus will always be the brighter object. This chart shows the evening of November 24, the day of their conjunction, when the 2 planets will be separated by only 1.4 degrees (about 3 moon diameters) on the sky's dome. Watch for them! Read more.

Colorado moon

Photographer Matt Burt captured this glorious view of the full Beaver Moon over Gunnison, Colorado, on Monday evening. Thanks, Matt!

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