The Horrifying Meteor Shower of 1833 That Made Some People Think The World Was Ending
The skies lit up in such spectacular fashion that it signaled to some that Judgement Day was at hand
The occasion to see a meteor streaking across the night skies is a phenomenon embraced around the world as an instance of natural beauty. Taking in a meteor shower is an even rarer and highly anticipated event. However, there was once a time in history when such cosmic happenings inspired terror, including in 1833 when a particularly heavy shower, that dispersed tens of thousands of meteors per hour over the course of two days, created terror and made some believe that the world was coming to an end.
Leonids are “a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Tempel–Tuttle, which are also known for their spectacular meteor storms that occur about every 33 years.” Peaking in November, they can be among the most awe-inspiring naturally occurring events in space that can be viewed from earth with the naked eye. They intensify about every 33 years in conjunction with the 55P/Temple-Tuttle comet getting the closest in its orbit to the Earth and Sun. The resulting dust particles create the barrage of meteors.
In November, 1833 there was a Leonid storm unlike just about any other in…
