In the 32 years since the 1996 outburst the space environment around Earth has changed significantly. In anticipation of a possible 1998 Leonid outburst, those who have considerable investments in orbit developed strategies for weathering the storm. Most satellite management teams were on high alert during the projected Leonid peak, and they oriented their satellites such that the least vulnerable profiles faced the oncoming meteoroids. For those of us observing the shower on Earth, the main hazzards are meteorological. Our biggest worry will be the cooperation of the weather.
Meteors are easily observed - all that is required is a relatively dark and open location.
No telescopes or binoculars are needed. It is best to look for Leonid meteors between the hours of midnight and dawn. Luckily the moon will be out of the way during most of this time in 1999 - unfortunately, this will not be the case in 2000. The meteors of this shower will streak all across the sky, but they can all be traced back to the constellation Leo, which doesn t rise until after midnight. There were several web sites in 1998 that provided live camera view of dark skies from the projected peak areas.