Leonid meteor shower 2026

When the Leonids peak in 2026

In 2026 the Leonids peak at 2026-11-17 23:50 UTC, when the Sun reaches solar longitude 235.27° (J2000). That makes the night of Nov 17–18 the one to watch; the activity window opens November 6, 23 days from now.

The Moon will be 55% illuminated (waxing gibbous) at the peak: bright Moon, fewer faint meteors. In 2027 the peak falls on Nov 18, 2027 with the Moon 80% lit, a worse year for moonlight.

From 45° N the radiant stands -7° high at 10 pm and 53° at 4 am local time, so the pre-dawn hours are best. With the radiant at 53°, a ZHR of 15 means roughly 12 meteors per hour under a perfectly dark sky; light pollution and moonlight cut that a lot. The radiant never rises south of about 68° S.

How high the radiant gets

Radiant altitude on the peak night at 10 pm and 4 am local time. The higher the radiant, the more meteors you see.

How to watch the Leonids

Get away from street lights, let your eyes adapt for 20–30 minutes, and look about 40–60° away from the radiant rather than straight at it; meteors appear all over the sky and their trails point back to the radiant (RA 10h 08m, Dec +22°). No telescope or binoculars needed.

Leonid meteors enter the atmosphere at 71 km/s, fast enough that many leave glowing trains that linger for a second or two. The Leonids produced the great meteor storms of 1833, 1966 and 1999–2002, with thousands of meteors per hour. In ordinary years rates are modest. They are the fastest of the major showers at 71 km/s; the radiant in Leo rises around midnight.

Leonids peak dates

Peak times come from the mean solar longitude of maximum; real peaks can shift by several hours, and unexpected outbursts happen.

Next meteor showers

• Northern Taurids (Nov 12)
• Geminids (Dec 14)
• Ursids (Dec 22)
• Quadrantids (Jan 4)
• Lyrids (Apr 23)

More sky pages

• Meteor showers 2026 calendar
• Aurora forecast