Don't Miss Next Week's Leonid Meteor Shower, Which Once Produced 100,000 Shooting Stars

Space lovers are in for a treat during the month of November—the famous Leonid meteor shower will be on full display next week. The shower hits its peak in a dimly lit sky on the night of November 17 until dawn on November 18, according to EarthSky.org.

Leonids are produced when debris released from Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle reaches Earth's atmosphere. Although it takes the comet 33 years to complete a single orbit, the Leonids occur every year in mid-November, according to NASA. The Leonids are considered to be a major meteor shower, though they typically only produce about 15 shooting stars per hour.

The annual shower gets its name from the constellation Leo the Lion, because the meteors outwardly radiate from the location of the stars, representing a lion's mane. This projection means that the stars will appear in all parts of the sky, so there's no specific direction you need to look at when observing the meteor shower.

Although its meteor rates have been low in recent years, the Leonids are capable of being quite impressive. About every 33 years, stargazers may experience a Leonid storm, which can peak with up to thousands of meteors seen per hour, NASA reports. The meteor storms caused by the Leonids have been observed since 1833, when it produced its first large meteor storm, releasing more than 100,000 meteors an hour.

In 2023 the Leonids aren't slated to produce a meteor storm, but it is still a good year to view the celestial show. There will be a first-quarter moon on November 20, meaning there will be little interference from moonlight when the meteor shower peaks, according to EarthSky.org.

For optimal viewing, head to a dark location away from city lights and pollution and give your eyes 30 minutes to adjust to the dark.