It will be busy in the skies this week with a meteor shower, a “Beaver Moon” and a partial lunar eclipse.
The Leonids meteor shower, which happens annually in November, will take place Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, according to NASA.
You can likely expect about 15 meteors an hour with the Leonids.
The Leonids come from clouds of dust and debris left behind when the comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle makes its rounds through the inner solar system.
The debris produces “shooting stars” and sometimes fireballs when it hits the Earth’s upper atmosphere.
According to NASA, the best time to see a meteor will be early Wednesday morning, at around 4:45 a.m. ET, after the moon sets. The meteor show will last until dawn.
On Friday, stargazers will get a double-header. November’s full Beaver Moon will rise on Friday, accompanied by a near-total lunar eclipse.
For the best look at the Beaver Moon, you’ll have to get up early. It should reach peak illumination at 3:59 a.m. ET.
In addition to the Beaver Moon, the Earth’s shadow will cover up to 98% of the moon’s surface when a partial lunar eclipse happens Friday at 4 a.m. ET, a minute after the Beaver Moon’s peak.
A lunar eclipse happens when the sun, the Earth and the moon line up. The sun shines on the Earth, which then casts its shadow on the moon.
The moon will look reddish.
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