Plumas County residents can view upcoming meteor showers

By Mari Erin Roth

The outdoor fires are gone for now and a winter chill sets in as locals spark up the fire indoors for warmth. With clear fall skies come the annual parade of meteor showers that march straight into winter. Plumas County residents have optimum viewing capability with clear skies and low nighttime illumination.

Taurid Meteor Shower takes place in the late evening, after 10 p.m., Nov. 9 looking south. The shower originates from the comet Encke and averages three meteors an hour.

Leonid appears predawn, an hour or so before the morning twilight, also from the south, on Nov. 17-18 and averages 10 meteors per hour originating from the Tempel-Tuttle Comet.

Andromedid comes in the late evening facing south Nov. 25-27 and averages five meteors from the comet Biela.

The hot tip remaining for meteor viewing in 2020 is Geminid, which showers all night in the Northeast Dec. 13-14 with a showy 75-meteor average per hour.

Ursid is the last shower of 2020 and takes place on Dec. 22, predawn in the north, with five meteors per hour from the Tuttle Comet.