Meteor showers
The next meteor shower is the Southern Taurids, peaking the night of 4–5 November 2026 (5 nights to go). Twelve showers a year are worth knowing. Each verdict below weighs the shower's best rate, from the American Meteor Society, against how much Moon is up, from our own sky table.
- Southern TauridsQuiet Night of 4–5 November 2026
Moon 17% · up to 5 an hour at best - Northern TauridsQuiet Night of 11–12 November 2026
Moon 8% · up to 5 an hour at best - LeonidsSo-so Night of 16–17 November 2026
Moon 47% · up to 15 an hour at best - GeminidsGreat Night of 13–14 December 2026
Moon 22% · up to 150 an hour at best - UrsidsQuiet Night of 21–22 December 2026
Moon 95% · up to 10 an hour at best - QuadrantidsGreat Night of 3–4 January 2027
Moon 12% · up to 120 an hour at best - LyridsQuiet Night of 22–23 April 2027
Moon 94% · up to 18 an hour at best - Eta AquariidsGood Night of 5–6 May 2027
Moon 0% · up to 40 an hour at best - Delta AquariidsGood Night of 29–30 July 2027
Moon 15% · up to 25 an hour at best - PerseidsGood Night of 12–13 August 2027
Moon 85% · up to 100 an hour at best - DraconidsQuiet Night of 8–9 October 2027
Moon 66% · up to 10 an hour at best - OrionidsSo-so Night of 21–22 October 2027
Moon 56% · up to 20 an hour at best
“Shooting stars aren't stars. They're bits of dust the size of a sand grain, going very, very fast.”
How the verdicts work
A shower's rate is the most a perfect dark sky would show in an hour at its peak, from the American Meteor Society's calendar. From a back yard you will see far fewer. The Moon matters just as much: a bright Moon washes out all but the brightest streaks, while a thin, waxing Moon sets before midnight and leaves the late hours dark. Each verdict weighs the two, using the Moon on the peak night from our sky table, so “great” means worth staying up for and “quiet” means look at the Moon instead. Every shower page has the night of its next peak, which way to look, what an early bedtime still gets, and a tally sheet to print.