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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Kieran Isgin

Leonid meteor shower expected to light up skies over UK this week

Stargazers might catch a glimpse of the annual Leonid meteor shower in the night skies this week.

Ideally, you should look up to the sky just before dawn on Wednesday night to get the best chance of seeing the meteor shower.

Associated with Comet Tempel-Tuttle, the Leonids are usually fast and bright meteors.

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The point where they appear to stream from is at the head of the constellation Leo the Lion, hence the name.

A tiny path of debris is left by the comet as it follows its path around the sun, and this enters Earth’s atmosphere at speeds of up to 70 kilometres per second, vaporising and causing the streaks of light we call meteors.

Thankfully, you won't need a telescope to spot these shooting stars as they can be seen with the naked eye - a clear sky away from light pollution is the ideal condition.

The meteor shower will last for the majority of the week so there's plenty of chances to spot it (Joe Giddens/PA Wire)

Even if you miss the shower on Wednesday night, you will still have a chance to see them throughout the week, albeit they will gradually fall at reduced rates.

Displays are better when the Tempel-Tuttle comet, which takes 33 years to orbit the sun, is closer to the Earth, an occurrence which is next due in about 15 years’ time.

The Met Office forecast for Wednesday to Friday is for changeable weather in the north with spells of rain or showers and often windy.

It says it will be largely dry in the south with variable cloud.

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