Stargazers could get the chance of a lifetime to see the sky illuminated by the Leonid meteor shower in the early morning hours Thursday.

The Tempel-Tuttle comet, the source of the Leonid shower, orbits the earth every 33 years, and its effects can be seen overhead after midnight early Thursday morning, said Russell Lavery, assistant professor of astronomy.

“[The comet] leaves behind a trail of particles,” he said. “When the earth passes through the trail, what you see are the little particles.”

The name Leonid stemmed from the idea that tracing the streak of light backwards leads to the constellation Leo, said Curtis Struck, professor of astrophysics.

“We are expecting the best activity Wednesday night,” said David Oesper, an amateur astronomer from Ames. Oesper recommended watching for activity not only early Thursday morning but early Friday morning as well.

“The best time to try to look is after midnight,” Lavery said. “That is when the space of the earth is moving in the direction of the motion of the earth.”

There are several reasons why the predicted peak of the shower probably will not occur until after midnight Wednesday.

“The first quarter moon and the radiant won’t be rising in the early evening hours,” Oesper said. “The meteor shower radiant doesn’t come up until about midnight.”

Not much meteor activity is expected before midnight Wednesday, but it might be a good idea to check periodically throughout the night, Oesper said.

Lavery said three essential things make the viewing experience better. People need to be situated in a comfortable chair, wear warm clothing and have a good view of the sky.

“The darker place you can be, the better it will be,” he said.

Oesper said this year’s Leonid shower is predicted to be the best for a long time. “It will probably be another 33 years before another one, if not 66 years.

“I would expect seeing numbers in the order of 100 meteors per hour,” Oesper said. “I think that everybody that observes will see a fair amount.”

Members of the Ames Area Amateur Astronomers will be at the observatory in McFarland Park late Wednesday night, Oesper said, and the public is invited to come out and watch for the shower.