Leonid meteor shower 2026
The Leonids peak on Wednesday, 18 November 2026, with up to 15 meteors an hour under a dark sky. On the peak night the Moon is 51% lit, and the meteors seem to come from Leo.
At a glance
- Next peak
- Wednesday, 18 November 2026
- Meteors an hour
- Up to 15
- Radiant
- Leo
- Parent
- comet 55P/Tempel–Tuttle
- Moon on the peak night
- 51% lit, first quarter Moon
Where to look
The Leonids seem to come from a point in Leo, called the radiant. You don't need to look straight at it: meteors can appear anywhere in the sky, and the higher the radiant, the more you see. Times are local solar time on the peak night. Your clock can differ by an hour or more, for example in summer time.
| From | Radiant rises | Highest | Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40° north | 11:00 pm | 6:20 am | 72° |
| 35° south | 1:20 am | 6:20 am | 33° |
The Leonids in the next years
The peak day can shift by about a day from year to year. The Moon figures are for midnight in Sydney on the peak night.
| Peak | Moon | Moon lit |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, 18 November 2026 | first quarter Moon | 51% |
| Thursday, 18 November 2027 | waning gibbous Moon | 77% |
| Friday, 17 November 2028 | waxing crescent Moon | 1% |
| Sunday, 18 November 2029 | waxing gibbous Moon | 89% |
| Monday, 18 November 2030 | waning gibbous Moon | 58% |
Where the Leonids come from
The Leonids are dust from comet 55P/Tempel–Tuttle. Every year Earth passes through its trail, and the grains burn up high in the atmosphere as meteors.
Keep the night of the Leonids
Put the sky above Sydney on the night of the 18 November 2026 peak on a star map. You can change the place, the date and the words in the editor.
Questions about the Leonids
The Leonids peak on Wednesday, 18 November 2026. The peak day can shift by about a day from year to year, so the nights just before and after are worth a look too.
Up to about 15 at the peak, under a perfectly dark sky with the radiant overhead. From most places you see fewer, especially with the Moon up.
Anywhere in the sky. The meteors seem to come from Leo, but they cross the whole sky, so look at a wide dark patch away from the Moon.
Yes, but fewer. From 35° south the radiant climbs only to 33°, against 72° from 40° north, so you see fewer meteors.
On the 2026 peak night the Moon is 51% lit. Its light hides some of the fainter meteors, so watch while it is low or down.
The Leonids are dust from comet 55P/Tempel–Tuttle. Every year Earth passes through its trail, and the grains burn up high in the atmosphere.
Other meteor showers
More of the night sky
- Upcoming eclipsesEvery lunar and solar eclipse of the next 10 years.
- Night sky tonightThe Moon, the planets you can see and the time it gets dark in your city.
- Night sky on any dateThe Moon, the planets and the stars above any place, from 1900 to 2100.
- Moon phase on your birthdayThe phase and the shape of the Moon on the day you were born.