Jay Manifold has some helpful info on next week's Leonid meteor shower.

Unfortunately, the moon won't be new, as it was last year (if I recall correctly). But regardless, last year's was truly spectacular, and if this year's is anything close to it, it's well worth getting out of town, finding a dark sky, and checking it out.

[Update at 12:43 PM PDT]

Webmaster and astronomical camera designer (and not former gubernatorial candidate, though he'd have likely run a stronger campaign...) Bill Simon suggests that because there will be a moon, that it will establish the minimum background light level, and there's probably little additional benefit to getting way out of town. Just find a relatively dark sky, and don't watch from underneath a street light.

Yes last years shower was truly spectacular. I had to drive 4 hours just to find a spot that didn't have any cloud cover. But it was well worth the trek up the pan handle of Texas. I found a desolate farm road and had perfect pitch black skies. I started counting at 2 a.m. and lost count at 100 and it wasn't even 3 a.m. yet. It start to peak at about 4:30 in the morning as up to 10 meteors would streak across the sky all at once. Probably saw at least 5 really big fireballs that exploded in a spectacular flash. That is definently a night I'll never forget and I hope this year it turns out to be the same.

Thanks for the plug -- the S&T article points out that while the Moon will be essentially Full, it will also be 100° away from the radiant. I concur with Bill Simon that knocking yourself out to find a dark-sky site won't be worth it -- I'll probably be getting out of town, but less than half an hour's drive away.