The patchiest of all meteor showers will be at its best tomorrow night. Unfortunately, this is one of its off years. At best, it might produce a dozen or so “shooting stars” per hour.

Over the past two centuries, though, the Leonids have produced some amazing outbursts. The first of these came in 1833. Skywatchers in parts of America reported rates of a hundred thousand meteors per hour – not a shower, but a storm. The nature of meteor showers was unknown at the time, so many saw the outburst as the end of the world.

The Leonids flare to life when Earth crosses the path of Comet Tempel-Tuttle. The comet passes close to the Sun every 33 years or so. It sheds tons of material on each pass – tiny bits of rock and dirt. Each cloud of debris spreads out and forms its own stream. A shower takes place when Earth flies through one of the streams.

Newer streams are denser, so they produce more intense displays. Those streams congregate near the comet, so the outbursts occur when the comet is close to the Sun. The last outburst came in the early 2000s. And Earth probably won’t pass through another storm-producing stream until the end of the century – leaving us with meager displays of the Leonids.

To see this year’s display, find a safe viewing site away from city lights. The meteors can appear anywhere in the sky, so you don’t need to look in a particular direction to see them. The best view comes between midnight and dawn.

Script by Damond Benningfield