An exceptional celestial phenomenon will occur this night in the sky of Algeria. According to the CRAAG, on the night of November 16 to 17, 2025, Algerians will witness the “peak of the best-known meteorite swarm of the year called the Leonids”.
This swarm is active from November 6 until the beginning of December, Craag said in a press release. Named Leonides, because its “radiant seems to come from the constellation Leo”.
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This celestial phenomenon will be “visible from the second half of the night until dawn”, adds the organization in charge in particular of monitoring seismic activity in Algeria.
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“The meteor maximum is expected to reach its highest rate around 5:00 a.m. local time with a rate of 20 meteors per hour towards the East. The radiant of the swarm will be just north of the bright star Regulus,” specifies the same source.
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How to observe the Leonids
Observing the Leonids is “preferable to be far from their radiant so that they appear longer and more spectacular from this angle”, recommends Craag, adding that the ideal is to “move away from artificial lights for optimal observation. »
The Craag describes a phenomenon that is beautiful to see. “Leonids are known to be very fast, bright and sometimes colorful. They travel at a speed of more than 70 kilometers per second and leave behind a long blue-green trail. The traces of gas left by meteors can remain present in the sky like huge smoke rings for more than five minutes,” explains the public body.
What are the Leonids?
These meteors are known for “fireballs and meteors grazing”. They are created by “the entry into the Earth’s atmosphere by debris coming from comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. »
“This comet takes 33 years to circle the Sun with an elliptical trajectory. Approximately every 33 years, it loses matter again as it approaches our Sun.
When the phenomenon reaches its peak, the peak activity of this swarm can then include hundreds or even thousands of visible meteors per hour. We then speak of a real meteor storm,” explains the CRAAG, which recalls that the last Leonid meteor storm took place in 2002, and the next storm should therefore take place in the early 2030s.
