One of my favorite meteor showers of the year are the Leonids. These shower typically peak on or about November 17th.
The Leonids are my favorite because in 2001 my wife and I saw the most amazing meteor shower we have ever seen. The showers peak every 33 years. In 2001, on a whim, my wife step out of bed at 2:30 AM in the morning and looked out the picture window in our bedroom, and shouted, "There's one! and Another!, and Another!." They just kept on coming! I quickly jumped up and we went out and saw them coming in at a rate of 500 or 600 per hour. We literally we seeing them about every second or two. Word got around our neighborhood, because we heard people talking all around our house.
So, I will be getting up the night of November 17th to watch the Leonids once again. Unfortunately, a moon rises in the late evening. The moonlight has a drastic effect in washing out the number of meteors you can see.
To view the Leonids for 2008, make sure you can find a dark spot, outside of the glow of city lights. This is very important. If there are ANY lights around, even from your neighbor's house, it will make viewing the Leonids very difficult.
Since it is November, bugs will not be a big problem. But, it will be colder than you are used to, so be sure to bring an extra jacket. Expect dew to form, which will make the ground wet. So bring along a blanket that will keep you from getting damp.
When the moon comes up, it will be up to you whether you want to stick around. You can stay, but you may find it a little difficult to keep viewing the streaks coming across the sky.
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