Overview
- The sharp peak arrives after midnight into the pre-dawn hours Monday, with the best window around early morning, according to EarthSky and the American Meteor Society.
- Forecasters do not expect a Leonid storm this year, and the American Meteor Society notes dense debris trails are not anticipated to return until much later in the century.
- The meteors come from debris shed by comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle and are among the fastest, streaking near 44–45 miles per second and often leaving bright trains.
- No equipment is required to watch; find a dark site, avoid phone glare, allow 20–30 minutes for eyes to adjust, and face east as Leo rises even though meteors can appear anywhere.
- The shower remains active through late November into early December, with Taurids adding occasional meteors now and the Geminids due to peak in mid-December.