The annual Leonid meteor showers will be peaking November 16-18, 2013.
This year's November meteor shower will not be as visible due to the full moon that is expected over the weekend. However, that does not mean that you cannot see any shooting stars. The meteor showers will still be visible, but the best time to view the Leonids will be in the early hours of dawn – between 2a.m. to 5 a.m. EST on Nov. 17. The star show will also be visible the following day, in the wee hours between midnight to 5 a.m. on Nov. 18.
Expect up to 10 to 20 meteors per hour when viewing the Leonid meteor shower. The Leonid meteors sometimes produce bright fireballs, so despite the full moon, stargazers can still catch a good star show.
The best place to watch the meteor shower will be to drive away from city lights and into the country.
The Leonid meteor shower is named after the constellation Leo the Lion. The meteors radiate from the stars that represents the Lion's mane.
This year's Leonids will not be producing a meteor storm as only up to 20 meteors are expected.
The Leonids have produced one of the greatest meteor storms in 1966 where thousands of meteors per minute were seen. This shower took place on November 17, 1966 for 15 minutes.
