While PAGASA said this year's Leonids may not be as prolific as in past years, stargazers could still see about 10 meteors per hour during this time.
"One of the most prolific meteor showers is the Leonids. Its radiant is in the constellation of Leo and meteors from this shower can be seen over a period of about two days centered on approximately the early morning hours of November 18 in the eastern section of the sky," acting administrator Vicente Malano said.
He noted the Leonids meteor shower is created by debris left by the repeat passages through the inner solar system of comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle.
Relatively clear view
EarthSky.org said there could be a relatively clear view of the meteor shower as the "rather unobtrusive waning crescent moon won’t really dampen the view on the shower’s peak night."
It said that with no Leonid storm expected this year, there could be "about 10 to 15 meteors per hour at the peak, in the darkness before dawn."
"As with most meteor showers, the best time to watch the Leonids is usually between the hours of midnight and dawn. The expected peak night is November 17-18, and fortunately, the waning light of the lunar crescent moon won’t seriously jeopardize the view of this year’s production in the morning hours," it said.— Joel Locsin /LBG, GMA News
source: gmanetwork.com
