The Leonids are produced by dust and rocky debris from the comet 55P/Tempel–Tuttle, which orbits the Sun every 33 years. The comet leaves a trail of particles along its orbit, and when the Earth passes through this stream each November, the fragments are pulled into the Earth’s atmosphere and burn up as bright streaks of light.
Because the meteoroids travel in a direction opposite to the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, they enter the atmosphere at very high speed — approximately 71 kilometres per second. This makes the Leonids exceptionally bright, earning them the title “the King of Meteor Showers”.
The radiant in Leo will rise above the horizon at around 1am on November 18, after which the meteor shower can be observed until dawn.
Although the expected rate is modest, excellent viewing conditions are anticipated due to the absence of moonlight. Observers in dark locations away from city lights will have a better chance of witnessing the display.