Leonid Shower Tuesday and Wednesday Mornings

"Strong Leonid Meteor Shower Peaks Early Tuesday Morning "
Space.com (November 16, 2009)

"One of the best annual meteor showers will peak in the pre-dawn hours Tuesday, and for some skywatchers the show could be quite impressive.

"The best seats are in Asia, but North American observers should be treated to an above average performance of the Leonid meteor shower, weather permitting. The trick for all observers is to head outside in the wee hours of the morning – between 1 a.m. and dawn – regardless where you live.

"The Leonids put on a solid show every year, if skies are clear and moonlight does not interfere. This year the moon is near its new phase, and not a factor. For anyone in the Northern Hemisphere with dark skies, away from urban and suburban lighting, the show should be worth getting up early to see.

" 'We're predicting 20 to 30 meteors per hour over the Americas, and as many as 200 to 300 per hour over Asia,' said Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office. Other astronomers who work in the nascent field of meteor shower prediction have put out similar forecasts...."

"...The planet will pass through an even denser stream later, just before dawn Wednesday in Indonesia and China, but that show won't be visible from North America because it will be daytime here...."

The article tells where the Leonid meteors come from - the comet Tempel-Tuttle - and why they're called "Leonid" meteors.

North Americans get a look at Earth's passage through one of the dense streams around 4:00 a.m., Eastern time.

There's a pretty good collection of information here: background on meteors, on the Leonids in particular, and practical advice on how to watch for meteors.