The Leonid meteorsFinal curtain

Night-owls may see a meteor storm on Tuesday

SHOOTING-STAR enthusiasts in Europe and North America may wish to set their alarm clocks for the early hours of November 19th. This will be the last chance for about three decades to see a Leonid meteor storm.

The Leonids are caused by debris from comet Tempel-Tuttle, which orbits the sun every 33 years. The earth crosses Tempel-Tuttle's orbit on November 18th or 19th each year, and a few meteors are usually seen. But in the years immediately after the comet has passed (which it last did in 1998) there is a lot of debris around, and thus the possibility of a natural firework display. This year is thought to be the last time that will happen until the comet's next visit in 2031.

Predictions for the display are that there will be two peaks of several thousand meteors per hour. One will be visible in Europe and North Africa for about an hour, starting at 4am GMT. The second can be seen from North America for about two hours from 5.30am EST.

Such predictions are still a bit of a black art, though they have improved over the years. Unfortunately, one thing that can be predicted with certainty is that there will be a full moon in the sky on the 19th. Since meteors are generally faint trails of light, the show will be much less spectacular than it would have been on a truly dark night.

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