Astronomy enthusiasts watch meteor shower in Beijing suburbs

In the early hours of November 18 in the cold weather of early winter, over 30 astronomy enthusiasts organized by China Science and Technology Museum came into close contact with the Leonid meteor shower at Huairou Solar Observing Station, a National Astronomical Observatory. According to an astronomist from the Beijing Planetarium who went to Dunhuang, the best place to observe this meteor shower, the Leonid meteor shower had a maximum speed of more than 200 meteors per hour as forecasted, and was one of the biggest meteor showers in recent years.

The Leonid meteor shower could be seen clearly in Huairou  District.

In the early hours of November 18, a Leonid meteor shower  flashes across the night sky above the geographic center  of Asia in the suburbs of Urumqi, Xinjiang.

Astronomists held training sessions in advance on how to observe the meteor shower.

Reporters arrived at the astronomical observation station near Huairou Reservoir by car at around 1am on November 18. "We postponed the observation time originally agreed because students have lessons tomorrow, and the temperature outside is very low. We will let them rest in their rooms for a while and then they can come out to see the meteors at about 4am." The related principal of the Exhibition and Education Center of China Science and Technology Museum in charge of the meteor shower observation told reporters that they had organized a total of over 30 astronomy enthusiasts including 18 middle and primary school students to observe the meteor shower, which is viewed as an extension of the "walk in the astronomic year" activity they had held. "Before this, astronomists gave a lecture about astronomy theory and took students outdoors to observe the stars and teach them how to recognize the starry sky in winter."