Montreal weather: This is the last supermoon you’ll see in 2024

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The last supermoon of the year will rise at 15.55, and it will be stupid.

The Beaver Moon rises behind a few clouds Friday, with temperatures just above freezing.

Expect a high of 7 C during the day, with a wind chill of minus-6 C in and a UV index of 2 or low. At night, minimum 1 C.

It is a pleasure to see a supermoon. But the bright, glowing orb will still be nearly full when the Leonid meteor shower peaks this weekend, likely obscuring all but the brightest meteors in most places.

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The Leonids are known for their high-velocity meteors, which can travel at up to 44 miles per second (70 kilometers per second).

“Unfortunately this year viewing conditions will be affected” by a near-full moon, said Shyam Balaji of King’s College London. “Watching in the early morning hours, when the moon is lower in the sky, can improve your chances of seeing more meteors.”

This shower can result in about 15 visible meteors per hour under ideal viewing conditions.

The year’s peak activity on Sunday will occur when the moon is 98 percent full. The shower lasts until and including 2 December.

Here’s what you need to know about the Leonids and other meteor showers.

What is a meteor shower?

Several meteor showers occur annually, and you don’t need special equipment to see them.

Most meteor showers originate from debris from comets. The source of the Leonids is the comet Tempel-Tuttle.

When rocks from space enter the Earth’s atmosphere, the resistance of the air makes them very hot. This causes the air around them to glow, briefly leaving a fiery tail behind them – the end of a “shooting star”.

The glowing pockets of air around fast-moving space rocks, ranging from the size of a dust particle to a boulder, may be visible in the night sky.

How to see a meteor shower

Meteor showers are usually most visible between midnight and before dawn.

It’s easier to see shooting stars under dark skies, away from city lights. Meteor showers also appear clearest on cloudless nights, when the moon is waning the least.

And your eyes will better adapt to seeing meteors if you’re not checking your phone.

When is the next meteor shower?

The Meteor Society keeps an updated list of upcoming major meteor showers, including peak viewing days and moonlight conditions.

The next big one is the Geminid meteor shower, which peaks in mid-December.

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