Space Shot of the Day: Leonids Meteor Shower

The earth's sky is open for a double feature this week, first with the rare sighting of a total solar eclipse in Australia on Wednesday, and now one of the most spectacular meteor showers returns for its annual November show. Commonly known as Leonids, reports of the celestial storm have been recorded as early as the 10th century and its most prolific shower in 1833 saw as many as 100,000 meteors per hour. The photograph (shown left) was taken by Fred Aspenak in November 2001.

For a better view, check out the telescopic recording of the shower provided by NASA's Marshall Center.

Space Shot of the Day is a feature series following the latest developments in planetary science, astrophotography, space exploration, future plans for colonization and all things related to outer space.