Most people have heard of meteor showers, when a few dozen shooting stars may dash across the night sky when the conditions are right. However, the next meteor shower on the calendar has a rich history of producing epic meteor storms that sound like science fiction rather than reality.

The remains of a comet are expected to brighten up the night sky, but there could be another celestial body outshining them. A typical presence each mid-November, the Leonid meteor shower is on track to be visible in the direction of the constellation Leo,