Leonid Meteor Shower 2026: Peak Date, Viewing Tips, and Forecast

The Leonid meteor shower 2026 peaks on the night of Tuesday, November 17 into the pre-dawn of Wednesday, November 18, 2026. Expect 10 to 15 meteors per hour under dark skies, with the best stretch running from midnight to about 5:30 a.m. local time. The Moon is a 6 percent waxing crescent that night and sets in early evening, so the sky stays dark for the prime viewing window. This is a non-storm year, but the Leonids are famous for swift, bright meteors that often leave glowing trains behind them.

When Is the Leonid Meteor Shower 2026?

The Leonid meteor shower is active from November 6 through November 30, 2026, with peak activity on the night of November 17-18, 2026. The best meteors will appear in the after-midnight hours of Wednesday morning, November 18, as the radiant in the constellation Leo climbs higher in the eastern sky.

Rates this year are expected to run 10 to 15 meteors per hour under the darkest skies. That is the long-term baseline for a non-storm Leonid year and lines up with what the American Meteor Society and NASA’s meteor shower calendar are projecting for 2026. The mornings before and after peak will also produce a handful of meteors for patient observers.

Best Viewing Time for the Leonids 2026

How To Catch A Shooting Star

The window opens once Leo clears the eastern horizon, which happens around local midnight in mid-November. From midnight to roughly 5:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday, November 18, 2026, the radiant rides high and Earth is plowing nose-first into the Tempel-Tuttle dust stream. That is when Leonid counts climb.

Details For The Leonid Meteor Shower 2026

The Leonid meteor shower 2026 peaks in the early morning hours of November 18, 2026, when the Moon is a thin waxing crescent that has already set. Look toward the south and southeast from about midnight through 5:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Late evening on November 17 will produce occasional bright meteors before the radiant rises, but the count climbs once Leo is high.

Leonids tend to be bright and leave persistent trains. That said, we are well past the 1998 to 2002 period when observers in parts of the world witnessed storm-level activity from this shower. This year, no more than 10 to 15 meteors per hour are likely under even the best dark-sky conditions, with rates climbing into the higher end of that window in the hour or two before dawn.

Leonid Observing Tips

To see meteors, the sky must be clear and your observing site should be free of light pollution. The less light, the more meteors you will see. Leonid meteors fall in the after-midnight hours, so there is no point in starting your watch much earlier. Mid-November is cold across most of the United States and Canada, so wear several layers of warm clothing, a hat, and gloves.

For comfortable observing, use a reclining chair and tuck yourself into a sleeping bag or under several blankets. Lie back and let your eyes adjust to the dark for 20 to 30 minutes before you expect to see much; the rods in your eyes need that time to reach full sensitivity. While observing, do not fix on a particular star. Scan a wide area of sky from the northwest around to the east. Look patiently and wait for a shooting star to appear. No telescope or binoculars are needed; meteors move too fast for either. Your naked eye is the right tool.

What Are the Leonids?

Why Are They Called The Leonids?

The Leonid radiant, meaning the point from which all the meteors appear to originate, sits within the constellation Leo. That is why the meteors are known as Leonids.

More specifically, the meteors emanate from the “Sickle,” a backward question-mark shape of stars that outlines the head and mane of the Lion. The brightest star in the constellation, Regulus, makes up the dot of the question mark.

Observers all across North America may experience a good Leonid show with meteors flashing out every few minutes during the peak window. The Leonids produce an average of 20 to 30 meteors per hour in active years, though the year-by-year count varies widely. In 2026, the long-term baseline of 10 to 15 per hour is the realistic expectation.

What Causes The Leonid Meteor Shower?

The Leonid meteor shower is caused by Earth passing through a trail of dust emitted by the comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle more than four centuries ago. The meteors travel along the 33-year orbit of periodic comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, which last passed through perihelion in 1998 and is expected to return to the Sun’s vicinity around 2031.

Trailing behind the comet is a dirty stream of very small dust particles, generally less than 1 millimeter in size. As the particles run into Earth’s atmosphere, they vaporize within a few seconds at altitudes of about 60 miles above our heads.

The showers peak between roughly midnight and 5:30 a.m. local time on November 18 as Earth makes a 400,000-mile journey through the cloud of particles that was ejected from the nucleus of Comet Tempel-Tuttle back in the year 1567.

Larger particles, up to pebble-size, can produce brilliant meteors known as fireballs. Those rival in brightness the brightest stars and planets and on rare occasions even the Moon itself. Leonids travel at very high speeds through our atmosphere, up to 162,000 miles per hour, and some leave bright trails of ionized atoms that linger as glowing trains for many seconds, or even minutes.

The mornings before and after peak may also produce some visible meteors.

The Famous Leonid Storms

The Leonids Through History

Old chronicles contain references to past Leonid meteor storms going back to the 10th century A.D. The best-known Leonid meteor storms are those of 1833 and 1966, when literally tens of thousands of meteors darted across the skies during the peak hour. The 1833 meteor storm was so spectacular that it launched meteor research as a branch of modern astronomy.

This famous shower produces spectacular outbursts about every 33 years. In 1833, it warranted the expression “when stars fell on Alabama,” with eyewitnesses across the eastern United States describing more than 100,000 meteors per hour at peak. In 1966, several thousand meteors per minute left observers awestruck. In 1999 and 2001, rates of 1,500 to 3,000 per hour fell.

The recent lean years have generated only about a dozen Leonids per hour, but rates are expected to pick up around 2034, when counts may rise into the hundreds, or perhaps even thousands, per hour. The next predicted storm-level outburst is timed to 2033 to 2034, the next 33-year return of the Tempel-Tuttle stream.

1966: Remembering The Great Leonid Meteor Shower

Sixty years ago, beginning at around 5 a.m. Eastern Time on November 17, 1966, dawn was breaking along the Eastern Seaboard. Where clear skies prevailed, viewers were able to see “shooting stars” from the Leonids falling at rates of up to six per minute before it finally became too bright to see the stars. Farther west, where it was still dark, Leonids were falling at a rate described by many as “too numerous to count.” One observer, stationed north of Mission, Texas, said that meteors falling in all directions gave the impression of a “gigantic umbrella,” appearing to “waterfall” out of the head of Leo.

From 6,850-foot Kitt Peak in southern Arizona, thirteen amateur astronomers tried to guess how many could be seen in a single sweep of the head per second. The consensus of the group was that the peak occurred at 4:54 a.m. Mountain Time, when the staggering rate of 40 meteors per second, or roughly 144,000 per hour, was reached.

Blame Comet Tempel-Tuttle

Today we know that a thick trail of dusty debris shed by Comet Tempel-Tuttle was what caused the Great 1966 Leonid Storm. That material had made two revolutions around the Sun before colliding head-on with Earth on that memorable November night. Because such a trail of cosmic flotsam and jetsam is invisible until it enters our atmosphere, astronomers back then were, in essence, playing a game of blind man’s bluff, not knowing exactly if or when we might encounter it.

Technology Advancements

Now, with computer modeling, the picture is much clearer. Astronomers can locate the position of Leonid dust trails from the distant past or far into the future. The Leonids will periodically shower our planet in the years to come. In the year 2034, Earth is forecast to move through several clouds of dusty debris shed by comet Tempel-Tuttle in the years 1699, 1767, 1866, and 1932. If we are lucky, we might see Leonids fall at the rate of hundreds per hour, perhaps briefly reaching “storm” rates of 1,000 per hour, experts have estimated.

How to Watch the Leonids in 2026

Watching a meteor shower well takes almost no equipment and a little patience. Here is the practical checklist for the night of November 17-18, 2026:

• Find a dark sky. Drive 20 to 40 minutes outside the nearest city if you can. The fewer streetlights, the better. National Parks, state parks, and rural farmland all qualify.
• Check the weather. Clouds are the single biggest enemy of meteor watching. Look at the local forecast the day before and have a backup site ready.
• Dress for cold. Mid-November overnight temperatures dip into the 20s and 30s across much of the United States and Canada. Layers, hat, gloves, warm socks.
• Skip the screens. Put your phone on red-light mode or leave it in the car. White light wrecks night vision in seconds.
• Let your eyes adjust. Give yourself 20 to 30 minutes in the dark before you start counting meteors. Your eyes get dramatically more sensitive over that window.
• Lie flat, look up. A reclining lawn chair or a yoga mat on the ground works. Aim your gaze about two-thirds of the way up the sky, toward the southeast where Leo is climbing.
• No telescope, no binoculars. Meteors streak across wide swaths of sky too fast for either. Your naked eye is the correct instrument.
• Be patient. At 10 to 15 meteors per hour, that is roughly one every four to six minutes. Bring a thermos.

The Leonids and the Moon in 2026

The Moon is the single biggest natural factor in how good a meteor shower looks from the ground. A bright Moon washes out fainter meteors and can cut visible counts by more than half. A dark sky with no Moon is the gold standard.

For the Leonids 2026, the timing is favorable. The Moon on the peak night of November 17-18, 2026 is a waxing crescent at about 6 percent illumination, and the new Moon falls on November 9. The thin crescent sets in the early evening, well before the post-midnight viewing window opens. By the time Leo is high in the southeast and the Leonids are at their best, the sky is completely Moon-free. That is roughly as good as moon conditions get for the Leonids in any given year, and a meaningful improvement over the 2025 shower, when a waning gibbous Moon flooded the same hours with light.

For the timestamp of every full Moon and new Moon through 2026, our full Moon dates and times page lists every phase to the minute.

Other November Meteor Showers

The Leonids are the headliner of November, but they are not the only meteor shower active that month. Two slower, less dense showers run in the background and add a steady trickle of meteors to a Leonid-watching night:

• Northern Taurids. Active October 20 through December 10, peaking on the night of November 11-12, 2026. Rates run about 5 meteors per hour, but the Taurids are famous for slow, bright fireballs that can outshine anything the Leonids produce. The radiant lies in the constellation Taurus, near the Pleiades.
• Southern Taurids. Active September 23 through December 8, peaking on the night of November 4-5, 2026. Same rate of about 5 per hour, same reputation for fireballs. The two Taurid streams overlap and can stay active right through Leonid peak night, adding a few extra bright meteors to the count.

If you are out for the Leonids on November 17-18 and you see a slow, bright meteor that does not trace back to Leo, there is a fair chance it is a Taurid.

The History and Science of the Leonids

The 1833 Leonid storm did more than light up the sky. It launched the modern study of meteors. Before that November night, most natural philosophers treated shooting stars as atmospheric phenomena, on par with lightning. The 1833 event was so spectacular and so widely observed across the eastern United States that astronomers were forced to look for an extraterrestrial cause.

The German astronomer Heinrich Olbers proposed in 1834 that the 1833 storm was the return of a periodic stream that had appeared in 1799 as well. Olbers calculated that the Leonids should return in roughly 33-year cycles. He was right. The American astronomer Hubert Anson Newton at Yale University refined the calculation in 1864, pinning the orbital period more precisely and predicting a 1866 return, which arrived on schedule. Newton’s work is what tied the meteors to a specific orbit around the Sun. The German astronomers Wilhelm Tempel and Horace Tuttle independently discovered the parent comet in 1865 and 1866; the comet that carries their names, 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, is the source of every Leonid meteor.

The name “Leonid” comes from the constellation the meteors appear to stream out of: Leo, the Lion. It is the same naming convention used for every modern meteor shower, from the Perseids of August to the Geminids of December.

Where to Watch in 2026

The Leonids are visible from anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere with a clear sky and a dark horizon. Some of the best places to watch in North America are the certified Dark Sky parks and rural areas with low light pollution:

• Cherry Springs State Park, Pennsylvania. Gold-tier International Dark Sky Park, two hours from any major city.
• Big Bend National Park, Texas. One of the darkest skies in the lower 48.
• Death Valley National Park, California. Gold-tier Dark Sky Park with wide open horizons.
• Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. 7,000-plus feet of elevation and dark skies above the Paunsaugunt Plateau.
• Headlands International Dark Sky Park, Michigan. Lake-Michigan-side viewing for the upper Midwest.
• Jasper National Park, Alberta. One of the largest Dark Sky Preserves in the world.
• Local farmland or a back road. Anywhere 20 to 40 minutes from city lights will produce a usable view.

If you cannot travel, look for the darkest patch of sky from your own yard, turn off as many lights nearby as you can, and let your eyes adjust. The Leonids are bright; even a suburban backyard will catch a few an hour during peak.

Enjoy the show, and here’s hoping for clear skies.

Related

• Monthly Stargazing Guides
• Shooting Stars And Good Luck
• Learn the Moon Phases
• Full Moon Dates and Times 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Leonid meteor shower 2026?

The Leonid meteor shower 2026 peaks on the night of Tuesday, November 17 into the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday, November 18, 2026. The shower is active from November 6 through November 30. Best viewing runs from about midnight to 5:30 a.m. local time on November 18.

How many meteors per hour will the Leonids produce in 2026?

Expect 10 to 15 meteors per hour under dark skies at peak. That is the long-term baseline for a non-storm Leonid year. The next storm-level outburst, with potentially hundreds or thousands per hour, is predicted for the 2033 to 2034 return of the Tempel-Tuttle stream.

What direction should I look for the Leonids?

Look toward the south and southeast, where the constellation Leo rises after midnight in mid-November. The meteors will appear to radiate outward from Leo’s “Sickle,” the backward question-mark of stars around Regulus. You do not need to stare straight at the radiant; scan the wider sky from northwest to east and let meteors come to you.

Will the Moon interfere with the 2026 Leonids?

No. The Moon on peak night, November 17-18, 2026, is a waxing crescent at about 6 percent illumination and sets in the early evening. The post-midnight viewing window is completely Moon-free. That is excellent viewing conditions for the Leonids, and a meaningful improvement over the 2025 shower, when a waning gibbous Moon brightened the same hours.

What is the Leonid meteor storm of 1833?

The 1833 Leonid storm was a once-in-a-generation event that produced more than 100,000 meteors per hour over the eastern United States on the night of November 12-13, 1833. The expression “the night the stars fell on Alabama” comes from that storm. Heinrich Olbers used the 1833 event to propose a 33-year periodic cycle, and the storm launched the modern study of meteors.

When is the next Leonid meteor storm?

The next predicted Leonid storm is the 2033 to 2034 return, when Earth is forecast to pass through several debris trails shed by Comet Tempel-Tuttle in 1699, 1767, 1866, and 1932. Astronomers estimate hundreds per hour at the high end, with brief bursts possibly reaching storm-level rates of around 1,000 per hour. Storm forecasts for meteor showers are educated estimates, not guarantees.

Do I need a telescope to see the Leonids?

No. Meteors move too fast for telescopes or binoculars, both of which have narrow fields of view. The naked eye is the correct instrument for any meteor shower. Lie back, scan the wide sky, and let your eyes adjust to the dark for 20 to 30 minutes before you start counting.

What comet causes the Leonids?

Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, discovered independently by Wilhelm Tempel in 1865 and Horace Tuttle in 1866. The comet has a 33-year orbit around the Sun and last passed perihelion in 1998. Its next return is expected around 2031. The Leonid meteors are dust grains shed by the comet on past passages, traveling along the comet’s orbit and burning up in Earth’s atmosphere each November.

Join The Discussion

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