Dark, clear skies mean Alaskans may get a good view of a meteor shower tonight

A meteor shower is expected to peak this week, and Monday night and early Tuesday is when shooting stars are expected to trail across the sky most frequently, according to the American Meteor Society.

The best way to see the Leonids meteor shower in Southcentral Alaska will be to get away from city lights and find a dark place to watch the sky, said Erin Hicks, director of the University of Alaska Anchorage planetarium.

“This year we are fortunate in that the moon is in its waxing crescent phase and therefore is reflecting very little sunlight, resulting in an especially dark sky,” Hicks said.

Southcentral Alaska is expected to see clear skies early this week, according to the National Weather Service. The clear conditions are ideal for viewing meteor showers.

The Leonids meteor shower happens annually throughout much of November.

The meteors will most likely be seen in the eastern sky. Hicks said the shower will radiate from the constellation Leo.

Hicks said Alaskans hoping to spot the meteor shower should look for Leo in the eastern sky at about 2 a.m. The constellation will move to the southeast sky by about 5 a.m.

Meteors, commonly referred to as shooting stars, occur when debris from space enters the Earth’s atmosphere and burns up, which produces the appearance of a streak or tail through the sky.

Leftover dust and grains from Comet Tempel-Tuttle, which was discovered in 1865, causes the Leonids meteor shower.

The shower is expected to produce about 15 meteors per hour at its peak this year, according to the meteor society.