What are the Leonids?The Leonids are a meteor shower.They are called the Leonids because they appear to radiate out of the constellation Leo.A Meteor, also known as a shooting star, is a particle from space.Its typical size ranges from that of a grain of sand to that of a pea.A meteor appears when it enters Earth's atmosphere and burns up high overhead.What Do the Leonids Look Like?All meteors appear as brief streaks of light moving a short distance across the sky.Some meteors move slow and some move fast.Here is a video of a bright, slow meteor.