Meteor shower on display Tuesday morning

The Leonid meteor shower is expected to fill the sky with “shooting stars” early Tuesday morning, but forecasted clouds and showers of a different, wetter variety could make it hard to see anything.

“We’re at the mercy of the never-ending Pineapple Express,” said Dave Balam, a telescope operator at the National Research Council of Canada’s Dominion Astrophysical Observatory.

Around 1 a.m. Tuesday, West Coast stargazers might have a front-row seat as the Earth passes through the debris trail of an old comet, the Tempel-Tuttle.

Balam said he thinks the wet, cloudy weather could break around midnight, clearing the sky for a spectacular light show that happens every year around this time.

“If it’s clear, you’ll get a pretty good show. I’ve certainly been thrilled by it over the years,” he said.

The Tempel-Tuttle comet was discovered in 1865. It orbits the sun every 33 years, and it’s around this time every year that the Earth passes through the cometary debris.

The radiant point from which the meteors appear to emerge is in the constellation Leo, which is why the astral event is called the Leonids.

Balam said the Leonids are often prone to meteor storms. On a clear night, it’s possible to see between 30 and 300 meteors dart across the sky every hour.

Tuesday’s event could last until around 5:30 a.m. and will improve as the early morning goes on, Balam said.

To see the Leonids, Balam recommends the following: Go to a nice dark place, such as 10 Mile Point or Island View Beach; bundle up with a warm drink, and crane your neck skyward. No binoculars or telescopes needed.

mpearson@tc.canwest.com