Tonight, Earth will travel through the dust ejected from a comet in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries (let that sink in for a minute; isn’t space amazing?). If the comet emitted a lot of debris centuries ago, we could be treated to a meteor shower as spectacular as the August Perseids.

Because we’ve never experienced this meteor shower before, NASA scientists caution against relying too heavily on projections. There’s a chance that we may not see any shooting stars at all. But their “current best estimate” is a peak rate of 200 meteors per hour so feel free to get a little excited.

Here’s what you need to know about tonight’s meteor shower:

The meteor shower has been tentatively named the May Camelopardalids after the location from which the meteors will appear to originate from. Camelopardalis, the giraffe constellation, translates to “camel leopard.”

In the Bay Area, the event is set to start in earnest around 11 PM and will last until about 2 AM. For the best meteor viewing, look north.

In case you were wondering, meteors are the “shooting stars” you see lighting up the sky. Meteorites are what’s left over if the meteor survives the trip through our atmosphere and lands on the ground.

Don’t forget to bring snacks and blankets.

It’s hard to find a place devoid of light pollution, but the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers website has an excellent list of “dark sky sites.” Here are a few local spots worth checking out: