Meteor showers to streak across sky Tuesday

BARSTOW • People venturing out of doors early Tuesday morning or later that night may be rewarded with glimpses of two meteor showers streaking across the sky.

The Leonid meteor shower reaches its annual peak around 1 a.m. Tuesday morning, and late viewers may be able to see a second peak Tuesday night, said Scott Bulkley, an astronomy professor at Barstow Community College. A second meteor shower, the Taurids, also reaches its peak about the same time, he said.

The Leonids — named because they seem to radiate from the constellation Leo — are not expected to storm, but a shower of 25 to 30 meteors may be seen Tuesday morning, Bulkley said. The Taurids, named for the constellation Taurus, are expected to add five to 10 meteors an hour. If residents venture out again that night they may be rewarded with a stronger shower. An outburst of up to 500 Leonids per hour is expected between 1:45 to 2 p.m. Tuesday and may continue when it gets dark, Bulkley said.   

“The thing about the Leonids is that no other shower gives the opportunity for such a spectacular shower,” he said, adding that the Leonid shower is unpredictable. “They have been the most spectacular in history, that’s why this one is always a more glamorous shower. You never know quite what to expect with the Leonids.”

The Leonid shower has its origin from the comet Tempel Tuttle and has generated past storms of up to hundreds of thousands of meteors an hour, Bulkley said. Between 1999 and 2001 up to 2,500 meteors per hour were seen.

In 1833, the Leonids rained down on North America at a rate of 200,000 meteors per hour, Bulkley said. The shower typically develops into storms every 33 years.

The Taurid shower is sparser than the Leonids, but is typically characterized by slow bright meteors heading away from Taurus, Bulkley said.

 To best view the meteors, Bulkley suggested people move away from the city’s bright lights and bring a sleeping bag or a blanket to lay on. Meteors can be viewed from most any part of the sky, he said, but he advised against looking directly at the constellation Leo.

The closest place for Barstow residents to get away from the lights is Owl Canyon Campground, according to Mickey Quillman, resources manager for the Bureau of Land Management. But, he said, five miles away from the city should afford spectacular views of the shower. He also advised people to dress warm because nighttime temperatures in November can get down to the high 30s.

Contact the writer:
(760) 256-4123 or jcejnar@desertdispatch.com

Good places to go:
• Owl Canyon Campground
Located off Fort Irwin Road near Barstow.
Restrooms, picnic tables and overnight campsites available for $6 per site.

• Stoddard Wells Off-Highway Vehicle Area
Located south of Barstow off Interstate 15