GRAND RAPIDS — Were meteor showers really seen in West Michigan? Maybe some fireballs happened? Wednesday night chatter across the area started as some people reported seeing meteors or fireballs in the night sky. According to the American Meteor Society, this time of year it is possible to see the November Leonids or Southern and Northern Taurids light up the sky.
The Southern Taurids have a long active period from September 23rd to December 8th but rarely produces more than 5 shower members per hour, even at maximum activity. These can be rich in fireballs and often fireball reports in crease in September and November. The Northern Taurids are similar to the Southern Taurids but can be seen from late October to early November also with increased fireball activity.
Northern Taurids peaked on Nov. 11-12 at night when the moon was 2% full.
Southern Taurids peaked on Nov. 5-6 at night when the moon was 44% full.
The November Leonids can be remembered most for meteor showers dating back to the year 1833, 1866, 1966, 1999 and 2001. These meteor showers can be best seen when the comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle is near perihelion, meaning closest approach to the sun. What we see though is not the fresh comet material, yet debris or dust cloud from earlier returns that are most dense. The Leonids radiate from the constellation Leo the Lion at the highest point in the sky around dawn. Below is a look at Leo in the sky from EarthSky.org.
Leonids are expected to peak this Friday night and Saturday early morning Nov. 17-18th when the moon will be 23% full. This will give us very little interference from the moonlight leading you to possibly see 10 to 15 Leonid meteors per hour.
West Michigan can have a few clouds around Friday night into early Saturday leaving some hope we will be able to see the peak of the November Leonid meteors!
