Locals eager to view heavenly show are advised to leave Vegas

Wednesday, Nov. 17, 1999 | 9:49 a.m.

When constellation Leo the Lion roars across the sky spewing meteors tonight, the best place for Las Vegas residents to be is out of town, astronomer Dale Etheridge advises.

The annual Leonid meteor shower streams into view every November when the dusty tail of Comet Tempel-Tuttle brushes Earth, Etheridge said. This year it could become a spectacular storm of "shooting stars" or it could be a dud.

"Meteor showers are harder to predict than earthquakes," Etheridge said, because unlike comets or asteroids, astronomers can't see them before they reach the Earth.

There's good news for those searching the heavens. You don't need a telescope, binoculars or any other visual aid, the planetarium director of the Community College of Southern Nevada at the Cheyenne Avenue campus said.

For comfort, dress to stay warm, sit in a lawn chair and sip some hot coffee, because it takes patience to see the meteors streaking across the sky, Etheridge said.

"Potentially the Leonids could produce a bright enough meteor to see it in town," Etheridge said of a piece of dust, ice or space rock the size of a kernel of popcorn. "That size produces a really bright streak."

However, meteor buffs have to spot the Milky Way streaming across the sky in order to see the best of the Leonids.

A typical Leonid shower produces 10 to 20 meteors per hour. But every 33 years the comet's tail kicks it up several notches to a spectacle. In 1966 the peak reached 2,400 fiery trails an hour.

Local skywatchers this year have to hope autumn's first Pacific Northwest storm clears the skies over Southern Nevada by midnight, Etheridge said.

"Anyone who's interested in seeing it is getting out of town," he said.

Putting a couple of mountain ranges between the razzle dazzle of Las Vegas and the sky isn't hard in Nevada. Nelson's Landing southeast of Las Vegas, the Valley of Fire northeast of the city, or the backside of the Spring Mountains west of town are all popular for meteor watchers, Etheridge said.

The Leonids should peak either tonight or Thursday night, but skywatchers often see a flare through the weekend, provided the sky is clear, Etheridge said.

Leo pops high enough over the east-southeast horizon in Southern Nevada around midnight.

Etheridge said he would try watching the Leonids from Southern Utah's mountains this year.