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Rain may put a dampener on celestial delight

KOLKATA: With untimely rain predicted for the next 24 hours, sky-watchers here are concerned that they may not be able to view the Leonid meteor shower expected to peak in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

“If there is a cloud cover, the meteors will not be visible,” said Dr. D.P. Duari, Director (Academics and Research) at the Birla Planetarium here.

The weatherman has predicted rain in the coming days owing to the aftermath of cyclone Phyaan and a depression formed over the Bay of Bengal.

Though the Leonid meteor shower is seen every year on November 16 or 17 when the earth passes through the cometary debris of a comet called Temple Tuttle, astronomers predict that this year’s sightings will be spectacular.

“The intensity of the meteor shower depends on what part of the debris the earth is crossing. This year the earth will pass through the central, dense region of the debris left behind by Temple Tuttle in 1466 A.D. In 2008, when the earth had crossed similar debris, intense showers had been observed and we can expect the same this year too,” Dr. Duari said.

Observers will probably sight the Leonid meteor shower, named after the constellation Leo from which the meteors will appear to emanate from, from 1 a.m. onward on Wednesday peaking at 3 a.m., Dr. Duari said.

A brilliant display of flight was predicted because November 17 will be a moonless night and experts had expected it to be a clear winter night, he added.

Temple Tuttle, also called P-55, approaches the sun every 33 and a half years and the last time it came near the sun was in 1998, but the earth crosses its debris trail – the left over dust every year.

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Rain may put a dampener on celestial delight

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