Hide From the Moon and Watch the Leonid Meteor Shower

High over Michigan this weekend and early next week, we should get another meteor shower. The Leonids are about to peak. The only problem? That big bright moon.

According to EarthSky the Leonids will peak on the night of November 17th and into the next morning. Every 33 years or so this meteor shower turns into a meteor storm, with THOUSANDS of meteors falling every hour. In 1833, the Leonid meteor storm produced 100,000 meteors an hour! That ain't gonna happen this time. (We've got another 15 years or so before they crank up to anything remotely near that level again)

Here's the plan: after midnight, sometime in the next few days (Saturday night should be clear) look to the east - near the constellation of Leo the Lion - to get the best chance of seeing meteors. The big moon (it was just full a few days ago) will be a problem. According to EarthSky, "in 2019, there’s really no way to avoid the moon. You’ll have to find a way to work around it. Try observing in a shadow of a large structure (like a barn), or in a mountain shadow. Just try to keep the moon out of view."

Good thing we've got barns around here. Here's the story.