YOU CAN STILL CATCH A METEOR OR TWO

Written by: Bob Metcalfe

If you missed the Leonid Meteor shower early this morning, don't be upset! You can still catch the "leftovers" tonight. Now at the peak before dawn Tuesday morning, 20-30 good meteors were able to be seen per hour. Chances are that that number will be much less tonight. But conditions are pretty good to view: peerless, cloud-free skies! Just be sure to dress warm, temperatures will revisit the low 20s again.

Some history on the Leonids, as per Space.com:

The Leonids are spawned by the comet Tempel-Tuttle. Every 33 years, it rounds the Sun and then goes back to the outer solar system. On each passage across Earth's orbit, Tempel-Tuttle lays down another trail of debris, each in a slightly different location than previous trails. Over time, the debris trails spread out. Each year, Earth passes through different streams, and different parts of the streams, creating bursts of activity and slack periods in the nights surrounding the event's peak.

Scientists believe that the content from the Tempel-Tuttle and other comets are connected to the "Big Bang". Could we be witnessing the earliest signs of our existence lighting up the sky?