The Leonids return

Each November, the orbit of the Earth passes through the trail of dust from the comet 55P / Tempel-Tuttle, led meteor shower of the Leonids, some shooting stars of relatively low intensity l nights as of 16 will be at 17 and 17 to 18 November. The phenomenon will produce rates of 15 to 20 meteors per hour in Spain, 20 to 30 in America and 200 to 300 in Asia, as announced by NASA. The Leonids are characterized by being very fast: they fly over the sky at a speed of 71 kilometers per second. The color of these meteors is generally reddish , and they often leave behind a green trail that persists for a few seconds.

This year, Mars will pass through the radiant of the Leonids at the moment in which the rain occurs. The Red Planet is about twice as bright as a first-magnitude star, making it an eye-catching companion for these meteors.