- The 2026 Leonids peak on the night of 17 Nov–18 Nov; active 6 Nov – 30 Nov.
- Up to 15 meteors an hour in a perfect sky; on the peak night in London about 5 from a dark site, about 1 from town.
- The Moon is 57% lit but below the horizon at the best hour: the sky is dark.
- The radiant is in Leo, highest around 06:00.
- Source: 55P/Tempel–Tuttle; speed 71 km/s.
When to look in 2026
The Leonids are active from 6 Nov to 30 Nov. The curve shows activity rising and falling, the dots under it how much of the Moon is lit each night. This year the most meteors are likely not on the peak night but on 16 Nov, when the Moon interferes less.
Night by night
For each night the best hour is computed: the radiant high, the sky dark, the Moon in the way least. A dark site means out of town where the faintest stars show; town means a bright suburban sky.
| Night | ZHR | Moon | Best | Dark site | Town |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 11 Nov | 0 | 8 % | 05:40 | <1 | <1 |
| Thu 12 Nov | 0 | 14 % | 05:40 | <1 | <1 |
| Fri 13 Nov | 1 | 21 % | 05:40 | <1 | <1 |
| Sat 14 Nov | 2 | 29 % | 05:40 | <1 | <1 |
| Sun 15 Nov | 4 | 38 % | 05:40 | 2 | <1 |
| Mon 16 Novmost meteors | 11 | 48 % | 05:40 | 6 | 1 |
| Tue 17 NovPeak | 9 | 57 % | 05:20 | 5 | 1 |
| Wed 18 Nov | 3 | 67 % | 05:20 | 2 | <1 |
| Thu 19 Nov | 1 | 76 % | 05:20 | <1 | <1 |
| Fri 20 Nov | 1 | 85 % | 05:20 | <1 | <1 |
| Sat 21 Nov | 0 | 92 % | 05:20 | <1 | <1 |
| Sun 22 Nov | 0 | 97 % | 06:00 | <1 | <1 |
| Mon 23 Nov | 0 | 100 % | 06:00 | <1 | <1 |
Where to look
The meteors fly out of the radiant in Leo. In London it rises around 22:20 and is highest while dark, 60°, around 06:00.
You do not have to look at the radiant itself: meteors appear all over the sky, and the longest ones 40–60° away from it. Lie back, take in as much sky as you can and stay with it for 20–30 minutes so your eyes adapt.
Where they come from
The Leonids are dust from Comet 55P/Tempel–Tuttle. The comet orbits the Sun every 33 years, and for a few years after each return the Earth may run into fresh, dense clouds of its dust.
History
On the night of 13 November 1833 tens of thousands of meteors an hour fell over North America; that storm started the science of meteor astronomy. In 1966 the western United States saw about 40 meteors a second at the peak, and in 1999–2002 Europe and Asia had thousands an hour. In ordinary years the Leonids give only about 15 an hour. The comet returns to the Sun in 2031, so rates may rise around 2033–2034.
What they look like and how to watch
Leonids are the fastest meteors of all (71 km/s), often with greenish glowing trains. The radiant in Leo rises around midnight, so the second half of the night, before dawn, is best.
How many meteors you will really see
The ZHR (15) is how many meteors an observer would see in an hour in a perfectly dark sky with the radiant straight overhead. The real count is always lower: the lower the radiant, the more meteors stay below the horizon, and every step of sky brightness hides the faintest ones.
This page uses the International Meteor Organization formula: hourly rate = ZHR × sine of the radiant altitude ÷ r^(6.5 − limiting magnitude). For this shower r = 2.5. A dark site is taken as showing stars to magnitude 6.0, a town to 4.5; moonlight takes off up to 1.8 magnitudes.
How to photograph a meteor
You need a camera with manual mode and a tripod. Wide-angle lens (14–24 mm), aperture wide open (f/1.8–f/2.8), ISO 1600–3200, exposures of 15–25 seconds. Focus manually on a bright star and tape the ring.
Shoot continuously with an intervalometer or remote, frame after frame for an hour or more. Meteors are random, so patience wins: one or two an hour is a normal catch. Aim 40–60° from the radiant, above the glow of the horizon.
Dates in the coming years
| Year | Peak | Moon |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | Wednesday · 17 November 2027 | 83 % |
| 2028 | Thursday · 16 November 2028 | 1 % |
| 2029 | Friday · 16 November 2029 | 87 % |
| 2030 | Sunday · 17 November 2030 | 58 % |
| 2031 | Monday · 17 November 2031 | 12 % |
| 2032 | Tuesday · 16 November 2032 | 100 % |
Other meteor showers
Questions people ask
When are the Leonids in 2026?
The peak is on the night of 17 Nov–18 Nov. The shower is active from 6 Nov to 30 Nov, so meteors show for several nights before and after.
What time is best?
In London on the peak night, around 05:20, when the radiant is 58° up and the Moon interferes least.
How many meteors will I see?
A ZHR of 15 is the perfect-sky figure. In London on the peak night expect about 5 an hour from a dark site and about 1 from town.
Which way should I look?
Meteors come from the direction of Leo but appear all over the sky. Look 40–60° away from the radiant, at the darkest part of the sky.
What causes the Leonids?
Dust left by 55P/Tempel–Tuttle. The Earth crosses the stream at the same time every year, and the grains burn up in the atmosphere at 71 km/s.
Will the Moon get in the way?
The Moon is 57% lit but below the horizon at the best hour: the sky is dark.
- International Meteor Organization, Meteor Shower Calendar: activity periods, solar longitudes of the peaks, ZHR, population index.
- IMO Visual Observing Handbook: the hourly rate formula (ZHR, radiant altitude, limiting magnitude).
- Astronomy Engine (Don Cross): positions of the Sun, the Moon and the radiant.
- JPL Small-Body Database: comet and asteroid orbits.
The peak date is computed from the Sun's ecliptic longitude. The activity curve is the IMO model ZHR(λ) = ZHRmax · 10^(−B·|λ − λmax|). For each night the radiant altitude and the Sun and Moon are computed every 20 minutes; the hour with the highest expected count is shown.