If you are up after midnight (or want to set your alarm), you may be able to see part of the Leonid Meteor Shower.

And because the Leonids are moving along in their orbit around the Sun in a direction opposite to that of Earth, they slam into our atmosphere nearly head-on, resulting in the fastest meteor velocities possible: 45 miles per second (72 kilometers per second). Such speeds tend to produce bright meteors, which leave long-lasting streaks or trains in their wake.

For most of us, the weather looks good. During prime viewing hours (1:00 AM to 4:00 AM), astronomers are forecasting about a dozen meteors per hour.

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