Annual Leonids meteor shower's timing is good this year

Updated
Annual Leonids Meteor Shower's Timing Is Good This Year
Annual Leonids Meteor Shower's Timing Is Good This Year


Tuesday night, you may want to put away Netflix and see a show outside instead. NASA says the Leonids meteor shower is expected to peak around midnight Tuesday and last until dawn Wednesday. If the sky is clear and you're away from light pollution during the peak time, NASA predicts you'll see about 15 meteors an hour.

This meteor shower gets its name from the Leo constellation because the "meteors radiate outward from the vicinity of stars representing the Lion's mane," according to EarthSky.

SEE MORE: Watch NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko LIVE from the ISS

The meteors are really bits of leftover debris from the Comet Tempel-Tuttle, which comes through our solar system every 33 years.

The Leonids typically fill the sky every November, sometimes bringing a meteor shower. Though we're not expecting to see a full-blown shower this year, the moon is in a perfect position to see the shower clearly.

If you miss it Tuesday, there's no need to worry. The shower will continue until the end of month — it just might take a bit more squinting to see it.

RELATED: See more space junk and orbital debris:


More from AOL.com:
Tendrils of flame erupt from the sun's surface
Astronomers discover new distant object in the solar system
NASA discovers one of Mars' moons is facing destruction

Advertisement