The skies of Quebec will receive a visit this weekend from the Leonids, an annual shower of stars which will be at its peak between Saturday and Sunday. But its passage will be eclipsed by another astral phenomenon: the super Moon which will shine during the night from Friday to Saturday.
Posted at 5:53 p.m.
Quebecers will be able to observe the Castor Moon – the last supermoon of the year – starting Friday evening.
A supermoon occurs at the end of a lunar phase, when its orbit approaches Earth. This phenomenon occurs 3 to 4 times per year.
The super Moon therefore appears larger in the sky, due to its proximity. On Friday, it will pass nearly 362,000 km from our planet.
However, apart from its name, the super Moon is not that different from other Moons, according to astronomy photographer Philippe Moussette, who reports having compared the size of the super Moon with that of the micromoon, the name which designates the star when it is in its furthest position from Earth. Result: “The difference between the two was 14%, it’s not huge,” he says.
The strong luminosity of the Moon this weekend will make the Leonids, a meteor shower that will peak overnight from Saturday to Sunday, before midnight, less visible. Keen observers will still be able to see the largest cars of the storm, which will shine bright enough to be distinguishable, according to Philippe Moussette.
The Leonids are active annually between November 3 and December 2, and produce approximately 15 meteors per hour.
However, the storm intensifies dramatically at 33 years, when it passes through the dust of comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. “There, it becomes more interesting,” underlines Philippe Moussette, giving the example of 1966, when the Leonids produced thousands of meteors per minute.
However, we will have to wait to witness such a meteor storm: the next passage of comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle is in 2031.
With Space. com
