Leonid meteor shower peaks this week: Here's where to see it on Long Island

The Leonid meteor shower may be visible in the night sky in the coming days, at least for those who can find a viewing spot that’s well away from artificial lights.

Meteor showers occur when the earth orbits through trails of debris — bits of broken comets and asteroids. When the particles hit Earth’s atmosphere, they burn up, creating streaks of light across the sky.

The Leonids — so named because they appear in the sky around the constellation Leo — appear every year from about Nov. 6 to the end of the month, as the earth moves through the debris field of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. This year the shower will peak for East Coast viewers from Monday night into Tuesday, according to NASA. Other authoritative sources put the peak at Tuesday into Wednesday.

Forecasters expect few clouds on Monday or Tuesday, which should improve the chance of seeing a meteor.

In some years, the Leonids arrive in a display of hundreds or even thousands of meteors each hour. A woodcut from 1833 shows a spectacular meteor storm that year, where it’s estimated that thousands fell every minute, according to Earthsky.com.

This year, NASA expects a more modest show, with about three per hour, or fewer. That estimate includes some that will be easily visible to the naked eye and others that will be very faint, according to Ken Spencer, president of the Astronomical Society of Long Island.

"Dark skies are really important," Spencer said. "You’ve really got to get away from lights."

The lights of Nassau County (and nearby New York City) makes viewing "impossible," he said. Generally, beaches in the East End, such as at Orient Point, are among the better spots on Long Island.

Robert Moses State Park can be a decent spot, Spencer said, as it's a little removed from city lights, but viewers need a stargazing permit from the New York State Parks Department to go after hours. The same goes for Hither Hills, Sunken Meadows, and other state parks.

For those keen enough to seek a spot away from light-polluted skies, Spencer recommends Cherry Springs State Park in western Pennsylvania, which is a certified International Dark Sky Park. There, he said, "you can glimpse the real sky — that’s an astounding thing if you’ve never seen it."

NASA advises meteor-gazers to "orient yourself with your feet toward the east, lie flat on your back, and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible."

Once your eyes become accustomed to the dark, NASA said, "you will begin to see meteors."