It’s hard to predict how intense each shower will be, but astronomers expect this year’s Leonids to produce at least 20 meteors an hour. The full moon will set several hours before dawn, so its glare won’t interfere with the show.

The Leonids get their name because they appear to fly from the constellation Leo, a backwards-question-mark–shaped collection of stars in the eastern sky.

To check when the best viewing times are in your area, check out this flux calculator applet developed by two meteor hunters at the SETI Institute.

If you want to photograph the meteor shower, head away from city lights and check out our how-to wiki on where to look and how to take photos. Send us your best shots — if we get enough good ones, we’ll compile them into a gallery.

Image: Flickr/Dominic’s pics

See Also:

• How to Watch the Leonid Meteor Shower
• Video: Meteor Explodes Over New Mexico
• New Super Close-Up Images From Comet Flyby
• Reader Photos: Ghostly Green Comet Approaches Earth
• New Evidence of Ice Age Comet Found in Ice Cores
• Comet Contains One of Life’s Precursors

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Authors: Lisa Grossman

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