Starwatch: look out for the Leonid meteor shower this week

Shooting stars will be flying in all directions from a point near the head of Leo the lion

This week Earth ploughs through the debris stream that has been left in space from the tail of comet Tempel-Tuttle, and that means meteors. The Leonid meteor shower is so-called because all of the shooting stars associated with it appear to originate from a point just below the head of Leo, the lion. The meteors fly in all directions from this point, and at their peak are expected to produce about 10-20 bright meteors an hour.