Leonid Meteor Shower 2026: Peak Date, Moon and How to Watch

The Leonid meteor shower peaks this week, with the best viewing between midnight and dawn on 17 and 18 November 2026. The International Meteor Organization (IMO) predicts the maximum around 23:45 UTC on 17 November. The Moon sets around midnight, so the hours before sunrise will be dark. This guide covers when to watch, how many meteors to expect and how to give yourself the best chance, from a dark field or from a city. All details are as of 14 November 2026.

What is the Leonid meteor shower?

The Leonids are a yearly meteor shower caused by dust left behind by comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. The comet goes round the Sun once every 33 years. Each November, Earth passes through its trail of debris, and the tiny grains burn up in the upper atmosphere as streaks of light.

The shower gets its name because the meteors seem to come from a point in the constellation Leo, called the radiant. NASA describes Leonids as among the fastest meteors, hitting the atmosphere at about 71 kilometres (44 miles) per second. That speed tends to produce bright, quick meteors, sometimes with glowing trails, and the odd fireball brighter than magnitude -3.

Leonids 2026 quick facts

Detail	2026 information
Active period	6–30 November 2026 (IMO, AMS)
Peak night	16–17 and 17–18 November
Predicted maximum	About 23:45 UTC, 17 November (IMO, via Space.com and Star Walk)
Zenithal hourly rate	About 15 meteors per hour (ideal conditions)
Realistic rate	Around 10–15 per hour under dark skies
Speed	About 70 km/s (AMS 69.7 km/s; NASA about 71 km/s)
Radiant	Constellation Leo
Parent comet	55P/Tempel-Tuttle
Moon	First quarter at 11:48 UTC on 17 November; sets around midnight
Storm expected?	No

When exactly should you watch?

Sources give slightly different peak nights, and that is normal for a broad maximum. The IMO and the American Meteor Society (AMS) list the night of 16–17 November as the peak night, while Royal Museums Greenwich (RMG) points UK viewers to the evening of 17 November into the early hours of 18 November. The predicted maximum, around 23:45 UTC on 17 November, falls between the two.

The simple answer is to try both mornings: the pre-dawn hours of 17 November and of 18 November. EarthSky also recommends midnight to dawn on both dates. If clouds spoil the peak, RMG notes the shower keeps going at lower rates for several days either side.

Star Walk also mentions an alternative forecast by meteor researcher Mikhail Maslov that puts the maximum earlier, at about 16:00 UTC on 17 November, and says faint dust trails could add a little extra activity between 17 and 19 November. Neither is expected to produce a big outburst.

How bright will the Moon be?

The Moon is less of a problem this year than it could be. EarthSky says first quarter falls at 11:48 UTC on 17 November, and that the Moon sets around midnight. The IMO lists it as 39% lit on the night of 16–17 November, and the AMS gives about 45%.

Because the Leonid radiant only rises around midnight, the best Leonid hours are after moonset anyway. That means the darkest part of the night lines up nicely with the best part of the shower.

How many meteors will you see?

Set your expectations sensibly. The Leonids’ zenithal hourly rate (ZHR) is about 15, which is the number a single observer would see under a perfectly dark sky with the radiant directly overhead. Real counts are usually lower. RMG and EarthSky suggest around 10 to 15 per hour at best, and NASA notes that rates in ordinary years can be as low as a few per hour.

The Leonids are famous for their storms, defined as at least 1,000 meteors per hour. The AMS and IMO list storms in 1833, 1866, 1966, 1999, 2001 and 2002, and NASA says observers in 1966 saw thousands of meteors per minute for about 15 minutes. 2026 is not a storm year. The IMO says Earth will not meet a dense cloud of comet debris until 2099, although the comet’s returns in 2031 and 2064 could bring good displays of more than 100 meteors per hour.

How to watch the Leonids: step by step

1. Check the forecast. Pick whichever of the two mornings (17 or 18 November) looks clearest where you live.
2. Get away from lights. Find a wide, open spot away from street lights, such as a park, a field, a rooftop with an open view or a beach.
3. Go out after midnight. NASA suggests starting around midnight local time; the show runs until dawn, and the radiant is highest just before sunrise.
4. Dress warmly. Bring layers, a blanket or sleeping bag, and a reclining chair or mat. You may be outside for an hour or more.
5. Let your eyes adjust. Allow about 30 minutes in the dark, and avoid looking at your phone screen, which resets your night vision.
6. Look at a wide area of sky. NASA advises lying on your back with your feet towards the east and taking in as much sky as possible. You do not need to stare at Leo: meteors seen away from the radiant appear longer.
7. Skip the telescope. RMG says no binoculars or telescope are needed. Meteors move too fast and cover too much sky for either to help.
8. Be patient. Meteors come in bursts and lulls. Give it at least an hour before deciding the night was a dud.

Can you watch from a city?

You can, but you will see fewer meteors because light pollution hides the fainter ones. The bright Leonids and occasional fireballs can still cut through. To improve your chances, get as far from direct lights as you can, stand in the shadow of a building so no lamps shine in your eyes, and face the darkest part of the sky. A short drive to the edge of town often makes a big difference.

Northern vs southern hemisphere

The Leonids are visible from both hemispheres. Star Walk says conditions are generally better in the Northern Hemisphere. Leo sits north of the celestial equator, so for viewers far south, such as in Australia, South Africa or southern South America, the radiant rises later and stays lower, which cuts the number of meteors you can expect. Southern viewers should aim for the last hours before dawn, when Leo is highest.

Watching from Pakistan and South Asia

Pakistan Standard Time is five hours ahead of UTC, so the predicted maximum of 23:45 UTC on 17 November works out at about 4:45 am on Wednesday 18 November in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad (about 5:15 am in India). That timing is favourable: the radiant will be well up in the pre-dawn sky and the Moon will already have set. If you can, head out of the city in the early hours of 17 or 18 November, face east and look up. For another sky milestone the same week, see our story on Voyager 1 reaching one light-day from Earth.

What else is happening in space this week?

November is busy. Alongside the Leonids, NASA’s twin ESCAPADE probes are using Earth’s gravity to head for Mars; read our explainer on the ESCAPADE Earth flyby.