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night of it? After the moon and Mars set tonight, look in the opposite direction to watch the dazzling planet Jupiter climbing over the east-northeast horizon. Once Jupiter rises into the evening sky, this brilliant beauty will light up the constellation Taurus the Bull all night long. Then in the dark hour before dawn look for Venus, the sky's brightest planet, and the fainter planet Saturn shining low in the southeastern sky, in front of the constellation Virgo the Maiden.
• Many ask about the radiant points of meteor showers. Please know that you don't have to locate the radiant point to watch the Leonid shower, for these meteors will fly all through the starry heavens. But it's fun to know where the radiant lies in the sky. When tracing the paths of the Leonid meteors backward, they appear to radiate from the constellation Leo the Lion. The meteors in this annual shower are named for this constellation. As seen from mid-northern latitudes, Leo rises over eastern horizon around 1 a.m. That's why you'll see more meteors after midnight. After rising, Leo then swings upward and westward throughout the morning hours after midnight. It climbs to its highest point in the southern sky around 6 a.m.
• Every year - in November - our planet Earth crosses the orbital path of the Comet Tempel-Tuttle. Debris from this comet burns up in the Earth's upper atmosphere to create the annual Leonid shower. Peak rates are generally around 10 to 15 meteors per hour, but this shower has also been known to create rich meteor storms. No Leonid meteor storm is expected for 2012, however.
• Just find a dark sky away from pesky artificial lights, enjoy the comfort of a reclining lawn chair and sleeping bag, and enjoy the 2012 Leonid meteor shower in a moonless sky.
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