Meteor shower calendar 2026–2027
The next meteor shower to peak is the Southern Taurids, on Thursday, November 5, 2026, with up to 7 meteors an hour under a dark sky. Here are the 12 major showers in date order, with the Moon on each peak night.
The next peaks
The Moon figures are for midnight in New York City on the peak night. A bright Moon hides the fainter meteors.
| Shower | Peak | Meteors an hour | Radiant | Moon lit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Taurids | Nov 5, 2026 | Up to 7 | Taurus | 10% |
| Northern Taurids | Nov 12, 2026 | Up to 5 | Taurus | 14% |
| Leonids | Nov 17, 2026 | Up to 15 | Leo | 57% |
| Geminids | Dec 14, 2026 | Up to 150 | Gemini | 22% |
| Ursids | Dec 22, 2026 | Up to 10 | Ursa Minor | 99% |
| Quadrantids | Jan 3, 2027 | Up to 80 | Boötes | 12% |
| Lyrids | Apr 22, 2027 | Up to 18 | Lyra | 94% |
| Eta Aquariids | May 6, 2027 | Up to 50 | Aquarius | 0% |
| Southern Delta Aquariids | Jul 31, 2027 | Up to 25 | Aquarius | 2% |
| Perseids | Aug 13, 2027 | Up to 100 | Perseus | 85% |
| Draconids | Oct 9, 2027 | Up to 5 | Draco | 66% |
| Orionids | Oct 21, 2027 | Up to 20 | Orion | 56% |
How to watch a meteor shower
Find a dark place away from streetlights, with a wide view of the sky. The darker the sky, the more meteors you see.
Watch after midnight if you can. Most showers are strongest in the hours before dawn, when their radiant is high.
You don't need a telescope or binoculars. Lie back, look at a wide patch of sky and give your eyes 20 minutes to get used to the dark.
Check the Moon. A bright Moon washes out the fainter meteors, so a peak near new Moon shows the most.
Keep the night of the Southern Taurids
Put the sky above New York City on the night of the November 5, 2026 peak on a star map. You can change the place, the date and the words in the editor.
Questions about meteor showers
The next peak is the Southern Taurids on Thursday, November 5, 2026, with up to 7 meteors an hour. After that come the Northern Taurids on Thursday, November 12, 2026.
By peak rate, the Geminids are the strongest, with up to 150 meteors an hour, followed by the Perseids with up to 100. The Moon on the peak night matters as much, so check it in the table.
After midnight and before dawn, for most showers. That is when the radiant is higher in the sky, so more meteors reach your part of it.
No. Meteors flash across a wide part of the sky in a second or two, so your eyes see them best.
Moonlight brightens the sky and hides the fainter meteors. A peak near new Moon shows the most meteors.
ZHR, the zenithal hourly rate, is the number of meteors one person would see in an hour under a perfectly dark sky with the radiant overhead. Real counts are usually lower.
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.