The Sky at Night

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

The Leonids meteor shower is now active and viewable from The Canaries. I've seen at least one each evening for the last 3 or 4 nights.

In 2018, the Leonids will peak on the night between 17–18 Nov

The Leonid meteor shower is annually active in the month of November and it usually peaks around November 17 or 18. The shower is called Leonids because its radiant, or the point in the sky where the meteors seem to emerge from, lies in the constellation Leo.
Comet Tempel-Tuttle - The Leonids occur when the Earth passes through the debris left by Comet Tempel-Tuttle. The comet takes around 33 years to make one orbit around the Sun.

More info: https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/me...onids.html

[Mia]

Such a shame we won't be there, would love to see it.

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Although the sky is not very clear at the moment I have just seen three 'burns' (meteors) in the course of one cigarette, looking north.

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

It hasn't been the best viewing conditions here for the Leonids but if the clouds clear in time there should be some sightings between 12.30am and dawn. (Look in the general direction of North)

Next up are The Geminids in mid December:

In 2018, the Geminids will peak on the night between 14–15 Dec over FV.
December Meteor Shower
The Geminids are considered to be one of the most spectacular meteor showers of the year, with the possibility of sighting around 120 meteors per hour at its peak, which is on December 13 or 14, depending on your time zone.
The shower owes its name to the constellation Gemini because the meteors seem to emerge from this constellation in the sky.
An Asteroid Meteor Shower
Unlike most other meteor showers, the Geminids are not associated with a comet but with an asteroid: the 3200 Phaethon. The asteroid takes about 1.4 years to orbit the Sun.

More info: https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/me...inids.html

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Seems a bit early for Geminids sightings but I've seen 5 'shooting stars' tonight between N and W and I only popped out for 5 mins a few times between 9pm and 1am!

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Quite good sightings this evening in between the clouds.

[Ducks]

Will keep an eye out for these tonight. Thanks for the heads up— literally! 

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Unfortunately the cloud once again denied the best opportunity for viewing on Friday night. A clear spell around 4.30am provided a short display for any other insomniacs like me!
Saturday night is not proving any better - there seems to be a lot of high cloud or haze.

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

We didn't have the best viewing conditions for the Geminids - let's hope it is better for the Ursids.

In 2018, the Ursids will peak on the night between 22–23 Dec
December Meteor Shower
The Ursids meteor shower is active annually between December 17 and December 24. The shower usually peaks around December 23. At its peak, observers may be able to view as many as 10 meteors in an hour.
Named After Ursa Minor
The shower is named the Ursids because the meteors seem to radiate from the direction of the constellation Ursa Minor in the sky. The Ursids are associated with the 8P/Tuttle comet.

You can look on Timeanddate.com for details of the best time and direction for viewing each day (night!). Timeanddate.com

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

We start 2019 with the Quadrantids:

January Meteor Shower
The Quadrantids are usually active between the end of December and the second week of January, and peak around January 3-4. Unlike other meteor showers that tend to stay at their peak for about two days, the peak period of the Quadrantids only lasts a few hours.
Comet Swift-Tuttle
The shower owes its name to the now-defunct constellation Quadrans Muralis. The constellation was left off a list of constellations drawn out by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1922, but because the shower had already been named after Quadrans Muralis, its name was not changed. The Quadrantids is also sometimes called Bootids after the modern constellation, Boötes.
The Quadrantids are associated with asteroid 2003 EH1. The asteroid takes about 5.5 years to orbit around the Sun.

Use this link to see the best times for viewing and the position in the sky:

Timeanddate