The sky over Jordan on the night of Monday to Tuesday will witness the Leonid meteor shower, which is relatively weak this year, as the peak of the shower occurs below the horizon from Jordan’s geographic location, according to Ammar Al-Sakaji, president of the Jordanian Astronomical Society.
اضافة اعلان
Al-Sakaji said the meteor shower is active from 6 to 30 November, with the best viewing time before dawn on Tuesday, visible across most areas of Jordan and the Arab region, especially in locations far from light pollution such as deserts and rural areas. Ideal conditions include clear skies, minimal light pollution, and low dust, fog, or cloud cover. The moon will be in its waning crescent phase, so it will not interfere much with observation, though clouds may slightly affect visibility tonight.
According to studies by the International Meteor Organization, observers can see about 10–15 meteors or fireballs per hour at the peak under ideal conditions, as this is a meteor shower, not a storm. Meteors appear to radiate from the Leo constellation, but can be seen in various parts of the sky.
The radiant point of the Leonids rises at 11:55 PM on Monday (Jordan time) at an angle of 63° toward the northeast. The best viewing window is between 4:00–5:00 AM from the east.
The astronomical twilight begins at 5:42 AM, followed by nautical twilight at 6:11 AM, civil twilight at 6:41 AM, and sunrise at 7:07 AM in Amman and surrounding areas. These times vary slightly across regions, with increasing light making meteor observation more difficult.
The Jordanian Astronomical Society has a long history of observing meteor showers and storms since the last century, documenting them from its permanent camp in Azraq, one of the oldest astronomical camps in the Arab region. In November 1999, the International Meteor Organization selected Jordan as one of the best locations in the world for observing the Leonid meteor storm, organizing a camp and global conference attended by astronomers and experts from multiple countries, during which scientific studies were published documenting the phenomenon.
The Leonid meteor shower occurs when tiny debris from comets or meteoroids enters the Earth’s atmosphere at altitudes of 70–100 km, burning up and ionizing the air, producing visible streaks of light. The meteors pose no danger. Meteor density increases when associated with a specific comet, giving the shower a fixed radiant point in the sky.
The meteors are usually small particles the size of lentils, moving at high speeds along the comet’s orbit. Larger particles, the size of beans, appear as bright, colorful fireballs, burning completely in the upper atmosphere without danger, Al-Sakaji explained.
The comet responsible for the Leonids is Tempel–Tuttle, which orbits the Sun every 33 years. It was independently discovered by Wilhelm Tempel on 19 December 1865 and Horace Parnell Tuttle on 6 January 1866. Its next perihelion is in 2031. This year’s shower is not expected to be a meteor storm, but rates could reach up to 100 meteors per hour.
— Al-Mamlaka
