There’s An Incredible Meteor Shower Happening Soon And Northern California Has A Front Row Seat

Every year in mid-November, a stunning display of meteors blazes through the night sky. This specific meteor shower is highly anticipated by die hard stargazing enthusiasts and rightfully so. This is a show that you don't want to miss. Luckily, Northern California is the perfect place to view such a fantastic event. Our region is home to a plethora of delightfully dark landscapes which are perfect for viewing this annual occurrence. This meteor shower is just a month away so start making plans to see it now!

The Leonid meteor shower hits Earth once a year during the month of November. This annual meteor shower consistently offers up some of the most intense meteor storms in history and seeing them should be on every Northern Californian's bucket list.

Luckily, Northern California is a perfect place to view such an epic display. The Leonid meteor shower is best seen from Earth's Northern Hemisphere and our region contains plenty of perfectly dark skies to view it from.

This year, the Leonids are expected to peak on the night of Saturday, November 17, and early the following morning. Some meteors may also be visible in the days just before and after the peak. However, during the peak you can expect to see around 15 meteors per hour.

But what exactly causes this yearly phenomenon? The Leonid meteor shower actually occurs every year when Earth's orbit crosses the orbit of Comet Tempel-Tuttle. The comet leaves a trail of dust rubble as it zooms around the sun. When Earth crosses this trail, pieces of the comet fall toward our surface and turn into meteors.

The great thing about meteors is that they are easily seen with the naked eye—no special equipment necessary. All you have to do is find a dark place to sit and wait for the show to start. Northern California is full of fantastic dark skies with some of the darkest known to occur around towns like Healdsburg and Markleeville.

There's a reason that people eagerly await this fantastic show of meteors every year. Plan to go outside on the night of November 17 and see for yourself what the fuss is about!

What do you think? Will you be making plans to see this incredible meteor shower? If you enjoy observing the treasures of our night sky, be sure to check out this Northern California Observatory On Top Of A Mountain.