the leonid meteor shower happens in november each year because that ’s when the earth , moseying along its orbit , passes through the debris field of the comet tempel - tuttle .
( this chart shows the constellations at midnight local time for the mid - latitudes of the u.s. ) katie peek popular science likely awesomeness rating : medium the leonids peak every three decades , and this shower comes mid - cycle — the last peak was in 1998 .
that ’s a moderate rate .
the annual event , caused by bits of ice and rock burning in earth ’s atmosphere , will create a host of shooting stars above the eastern horizon around midnight in the u.s. ( local time on both coasts , when the constellation leo rises ) .
so if you 're in the u.s. and the skies are clear , head out any time after sunset on tuesday , november 17 , and look east .
strike against : the current cloud - cover forecast predicts overcast skies for a good fraction of the u.s. that night .
on the evening of tuesday , november 17 , and into the morning of wednesday , november 18 , the leonid meteor shower will hit its peak .
but in this year ’s favor , the moon will be a crescent , which means a darker sky that makes streaks of light easier to spot .
where to look , and when any single meteor might appear anywhere , but for the most part tuesday ’s shooting stars will appear to come from the constellation leo , the apparent origin point for the meteors , rises in the east at midnight .