Benbrook residents have a front-row seat this week as the Leonid meteor shower reaches its peak.
Known for its speed and brightness, this annual sky show will be most visible late Sunday night into early Monday, with near-perfect viewing conditions thanks to a slim 9 percent moon.
The Leonids are fast movers, cutting across the sky at roughly 44 miles per second and often leaving long, glowing trails that linger behind them. The meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Leo, but you can spot them from just about anywhere if you give your eyes a few minutes to adjust to the dark.
The shower remains active through November 20, but the upcoming peak offers the best chance to catch multiple meteors in a short span. For those who like to follow activity in real time, the Global Meteor Network provides live tracking of bright fireball events at https://globalmeteornetwork.org.
If you step outside, try to find an area with minimal light pollution, give yourself patience and let the night do the rest. It is a chance to watch ancient comet dust burn into brilliant streaks overhead, a reminder that even the quiet skies above Benbrook can put on a show.
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