Sky · Year calendar

Meteor showers 2026: calendar, when and where to watch

Every notable shower of the year with its peak night, meteors per hour and the Moon that night. Over London — where the radiant is and when to catch it; to see thirty meteors instead of three, get away from city lights.

Next meteor shower

Orionids · peak night 21–22 October

The Orionids are the autumn shower from Halley's Comet — the same comet behind the May Eta Aquariids. The meteors are very fast, up to 66 km/s, and often leave glowing trains. The radiant near Orion's shoulder rises after midnight; the best hours are before dawn.

up to 20 meteors an hour
Moon 79%, not in the way
active 2 October — 7 November
radiant — Orion, before dawn
best around 05:17, radiant 54° up
under a dark sky — about 16 an hour

More about the shower →Radiant constellation: Orion →

In short

A meteor shower happens when Earth passes through dust left by a comet: from a dark site you see dozens of 'shooting stars' an hour, all flying from one point in the sky — the radiant. There are about ten major showers a year; the richest are the Perseids in August and the Geminids in December. ZHR in the table is how many meteors an observer would see under a perfect sky with the radiant overhead; in a city only a tenth remains, so the key is to get away from lights and give your eyes 20 minutes to adapt.

Updated 10 October 2026 · peak night and Moon computed for the sky over London

Meteor showers of 2026

ZHR — meteors per hour under a perfect sky · Moon — on the peak night

Shower	Peak night	Active	ZHR	Moon	Radiant · when to watch
Quadrantids	3–4 January	28 December — 12 January	80	100 %	Boötes · a short peak of a few hours; after midnight, cold
Lyrids	22–23 April	14–30 April	18	36 %	Lyra · after 11 pm, bright fireballs happen
Eta Aquariids	5–6 May	19 April — 28 May	50	81 %	Aquarius · Halley's Comet dust; low from mid-north, before dawn
Southern Delta Aquariids	31 July — 1 August	12 July — 23 August	25	96 %	Aquarius · better from the south, after midnight
Alpha Capricornids	31 July — 1 August	3 July — 15 August	5	96 %	Capricornus · slow bright fireballs, south in the evening
Perseids	12–13 August	17 July — 24 August	100	0 %	Perseus · the big summer shower: 11 pm to dawn, warm nights
Draconids	8–9 October	6–10 October	5var.	3 %	Draco · evening; usually few, but outbursts happen
Orionids	21–22 October	2 October — 7 November	20	79 %	Orion · Halley's Comet dust; after midnight
Southern Taurids	5–6 November	20 September — 20 November	7	12 %	Taurus · slow fireballs, all night
Northern Taurids	12–13 November	20 October — 10 December	5	11 %	Taurus · slow fireballs, all night
Leonids	17–18 November	6–30 November	15	55 %	Leo · after midnight, the fastest meteors
December Monocerotids	8–9 December	1–19 December	3	0 %	Monoceros · a minor shower, all night
Sigma Hydrids	8–9 December	3–20 December	7	0 %	Hydra · fast meteors, after midnight
Geminids	14–15 December	4–20 December	150	25 %	Gemini · the richest shower of the year, from 9 pm, cold
Ursids	22–23 December	17–26 December	10	98 %	Ursa Minor · all night, radiant near Polaris

How to see a meteor shower, not three meteors

A telescope is no help: meteors are fast and all over the sky. You need a dark place, time and patience.

1
Get away from light pollution
The Dark Sky layer on the map shows where it is Bortle 4 or darker, with campsites nearby.
2
Wait until after midnight
The radiant climbs towards morning and Earth 'flies into' the dust: two to three times more meteors than in the evening.
3
Look away from the radiant
40–60° from the radiant meteors are longer. Lie down, keep warm, give your eyes 20 minutes without a phone.

Meteor showers FAQ

When is the next meteor shower?

Orionids — peak night 21–22 October: up to 20 meteors an hour, Moon 79%, not in the way.

How many meteors will I actually see?

ZHR is the rate under a perfect sky with the radiant overhead. From a dark site you see about a third, from the suburbs a tenth, from a city just a few. The Perseids from a dark site give 30–50 an hour.

Do I need a telescope or binoculars?

No. Meteors flash across the whole sky in a fraction of a second, so the naked eye with its wide field is best. Binoculars help with the radiant and constellations between meteors.

When is the August meteor shower?

The Perseids, peak night 12–13 August: warm nights, up to 100 meteors an hour under a dark sky and many bright fireballs. The Moon is 0% lit on the peak night.