Leonids 2026

17 nights to go

Monday 16 November 2026 · Before dawn

The Moon that night: 47% lit. If the sky is clear.

The Leonid meteor shower peaks on the night of 16–17 November 2026 (some calendars say the next night). A half-lit Moon sets before midnight, so the best hours, just before dawn, are dark: expect up to about 15 an hour from a dark place.

The Leonids are fast shooting stars in November. The best time is very early in the morning, before the sky gets light.

The Leonids are a small shower most years. In 2026 the Moon sets before midnight, which helps. Because Leo rises late, the hour before dawn is best; an evening look gives very few.

The Leonids' parent, Comet Tempel-Tuttle, made famous storms in 1833 and 1966, but 2026 is a normal year. The American Meteor Society lists the peak as the night of 16–17 November; with a 47% waxing Moon that sets around 11 pm, the predawn hours are moonless.

A meteor streak among the stars above a dark ridge. — A meteor during the Perseid shower, Spruce Knob, West Virginia, 11 August 2021 (30-second exposure). Photo: NASA/Bill Ingalls (NASA Image and Video Library, public domain).

Where to look

East, where the constellation Leo rises around midnight; the shooting stars can show up anywhere.

What to do

Set an alarm for an hour before dawn, or look at bedtime and accept only one or two.
Face east, lie back, and give your eyes twenty minutes.
Leonids are fast: watch for quick, thin streaks.

More sky events

“If it's cloudy, don't worry. The planets will still be there tomorrow night.”