Stay up late for Leonid meteor show

By H.M. Cauley

For the AJC

Grab a hot chocolate or a Thermos of strong coffee and plan to stay up very late Tuesday to take in a fabulous free show, courtesy of the galaxy. The Leonid meteor shower will be at its viewing best that night, starting around midnight. The annual event, named for the constellation Leo, is a light show of comet crumbs caught up in the Earth’s gravitational pull as the planet swings through the debris field.

“You’re essential seeing these crumbs rub against air molecules, and that creates the light you see as they come shrieking through the upper atmosphere, pulled in by gravity,” said April Whitt, an astronomer at the Fernbank Science Center. “This year, we’re lucky and the moon is out of the way, so the view is terrific.”

Along with a comfortable lawn chair and thick blanket, here are some suggestions for optimal viewing:

● Be outside between midnight and 4 a.m.

● Don’t haul out your telescope — it limits your view. You want to see the entire breadth of the sky.

● Get as far away from city lights as possible. A very dark sky provides the best backdrop. (Whitt recommends traveling about 50 miles north for the best viewing.)

● Find an open space away from trees, with a clear view of the sky.

● Look toward the east, where Leo is rising.

● Allow about 20 minutes for your eyes to adapt to the dark. If you’re carrying a flashlight, cover it with a paper bag so the brightness doesn’t affect your vision.

● Questions? Call Fernbank’s astronomy hotline, 678-874-7100, x31, or go to www.fernbank.edu.