This photo taken by Lovato shows a bright Leonid fireball in clouds. Most of the time bad weather and clouds prevent people from seeing meteor showers, but the clouds in this image create a special effect! This fireball was photographed at 00:06 UT in the night of Nov. 16/17, 1998, using a 16 mm f/2.8 Fuji 800 lens in a 15/20 minute exposure. Click on image for full size (69K JPEG) Courtesy of Lorenzo Lovato of Imola, Italy

Viewers across the United States are in the perfect position to see what promises to be a grand show! "During the peak, people viewing under clear and dark skies could see meteors shooting across the sky at a rate of 1,000 to 2,000 per hour, with flurries of one meteor per second at the peak of the storm," says Robert Naeye, Editor of Mercury magazine, published by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP). "During a typical Leonid meteor shower, an experienced observer might see about 10 to 15 meteors per hour. But during a storm, that rate climbs to 1,000 or more meteors per hour," says Naeye. "This year's Leonid storm might peak at a rate of up to 2,000 per hour, although it's difficult to pin down a precise number. The rates will rise and fall over a period of two hours."

The meteors in the Leonids shower are pieces of the comet Temple-Tuttle. The comet's orbit brings it near the sun every 33 years. When it approaches perihelion, pieces of it break away. The debris then spreads through the comet's orbit. We see the debris as meteors when the Earth passes through the comet's orbit, as it will on November 18th.

Observers in eastern Asia and the Western Pacific will also be able to see the storm. To find out when meteor shower activity will peak in your area, see NASA's Leonid Activity Estimator. For much more information, please see this comprehensive article published by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.

This photo taken by Lovato shows a bright Leonid fireball in clouds. Most of the time bad weather and clouds prevent people from seeing meteor showers, but the clouds in this image create a special effect! This fireball was photographed at 00:06 UT in the night of Nov. 16/17, 1998, using a 16 mm f/2.8 Fuji 800 lens in a 15/20 minute exposure. Click on image for full size (69K JPEG) Courtesy of Lorenzo Lovato of Imola, Italy

Viewers across the United States are in the perfect position to see what promises to be a grand show! "During a typical Leonid meteor shower, an experienced observer might see about 10 to 15 meteors per hour. But during a storm, that rate climbs to 1,000 or more meteors per hour. This year's Leonid storm might peak at a rate of up to 2,000 per hour, although it's difficult to pin down a precise number. The rates will rise and fall over a period of two hours," says Robert Naeye, Editor of Mercury magazine, published by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.

The meteors in the Leonids shower are pieces of the comet Temple-Tuttle. We see these leftover comet pieces as meteors when the Earth passes through the comet's orbit, as it will on November 18th.

The name "Leonids" comes from the constellation Leo. If you trace the path of the meteors during any Leonid meteor shower, they appear to come from a point within Leo. This point is called the radiant because the meteors seem to radiate from it.

Observers in eastern Asia and the Western Pacific will also be able to see the storm. To find out when meteor shower activity will peak in your area, see NASA's Leonid Activity Estimator. For much more information, please see this comprehensive article published by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.

This photo taken by Lovato shows a bright Leonid fireball in clouds. Most of the time bad weather and clouds prevent people from seeing meteor showers, but the clouds in this image create a special effect! This fireball was photographed at 00:06 UT in the night of Nov. 16/17, 1998, using a 16 mm f/2.8 Fuji 800 lens in a 15/20 minute exposure. Click on image for full size (69K JPEG) Courtesy of Lorenzo Lovato of Imola, Italy

The best time to see the meteor shower is on November 17th, really late at night! If you live in the U.S., eastern Asia or the Western Pacific, you should be able to see the meteor shower. To find out when meteor shower activity will peak in your area, use NASA's Leonid Activity Estimator.

Remember, ask your mom or dad if they will let you stay up a little later on Saturday night so you can see the shooting stars. Make sure your mom or dad comes with you to a dark viewing place. Remember, later at night is better (after midnight will be best). Dress warm!