when are the best exact time to watch the leonid showers in sacramento?

Question

what are the best exact times to watch out for leonids in sacramento meaning the date and time (PST) and in what direction of the sky should someone look at?

Answer 1

November 18, 2007, any time it is dark, but especially around midnight, until the moon rises around 3:45am. Cloud cover of 30-35% is predicted, so that's definitely a limiting factor. Take advantage of any clear dark night, since the Leonids shower is spread over about 2 weeks. It can be spectacular.

Look toward the east for the constellation Leo. Then, just watch where the action is.

See the second reference for apparently new information about this unusually high expected peak.

Answer 2

hose regions of the Earth that are in prime position to see another potential Leonid outburst are western Africa and western and central Europe where the constellation Leo will ride high in the southeast sky as the peak of the shower arrives. Morning twilight will begin shortly thereafter.

In North America, for the Maritime Provinces of Canada, New England, eastern New York and Bermuda, the Sickle of Leo (from where the Leonids appear to emanate) will be above the east-northeast horizon just as the shower is due to reach its peak. But because Leo will be at a much lower altitude compared to Europe, meteor rates correspondingly may be much lower as well. However, this very special circumstance could lead to the appearance of a few long-trailed Earth-grazing meteors, due to meteoroids that skim along a path nearly parallel to Earth's surface. Seeing even just one of these meteors tracing a long, majestic path across the sky could make a chilly night under the stars worthwhile.

Unfortunately, for the central and western United States and Canada, the Leonid outburst will likely have passed before Leo rises; at best, nothing more than the usual 10 or so Leonids per hour will likely be seen.

Keep in mind that for New England and U.S. East Coast, the peak is due locally on the previous calendar day, Saturday, Nov. 18, at 11:45 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (For the Canadian Maritimes and Bermuda, the corresponding time is 12:45 a.m. on Sunday, the 19th. For Newfoundland it is also on the 19th, but at 1:15 a.m.).

Answer 3

I'm living in Sacramento too. The best time for us to see the Leonid showers are between 2:45am and 4:30am PST on early November 19th. The shower will be in the Eastern part of the sky and unfortunately will not be as easy to see as if we were on the East coast. However, weather permitting we should be able to see at least a few.

Good luck! I know I'll be keeping an eye out for them too. :)

Answer 4

Look at the entire sky. The meteors can be in absolutely any part of the sky, from horizon to horizon. There should be a reasonable number of meteors for a couple days, so you can look tonight or tomorrow night, but you have to look after midnight to see any. That is because they appear to radiate from Leo, and Leo does not rise until midnight.

Answer 5

hey i was just passing thru for info on this. in the BOSTON area its peak is supposed to be after midnight on the 18th. so just subtract the time difference.