The Leonid meteor shower will peak this weekend

Have you ever seen a falling star? Have you ever seen dozens -- or more -- over the course of an hour? If not, then this weekend may be your chance: The Leonid meteor shower will peak this weekend.

The best time to see the most meteors will be around 3am ET on Saturday (Nov. 17) morning. It should be good and dark by that time, with the crescent moon setting much earlier.

During the time around the peak, you can expect to see about 15 to 20 meteors each hour. However, since meteor showers like the Leonids are notoriously unpredictable, there is a chance that many more falling stars could be seen around this time.

But it's not likely.

This is because the Leonid meteor shower is formed when the Earth plows through space dust left behind by Comet Tempel-Tuttle. And this year's space dust has been floating around for years. The comet has a 33-year orbit around the Sun and last passed us (leaving behind that space dust) in 1998. 14-year-old dust is unlikely to put on a big show.

You should still try. If you do, the best chance of seeing meteors comes after midnight, and you will only see the fainter shooting stars if you are in a dark location. While the peak of the meteor activity should be on Saturday morning, the shower will put on a show well into next week -- some astronomers even expect big numbers early on Tuesday (Nov. 20) morning.

The good news about the Leonid meteor shower -- and any meteor shower, for that matter -- is that you don't need special equipment like a telescope to enjoy it.

Just look up and wait for a falling star.