Leonids 2026: peak night, meteors per hour and where to watch
The Leonids are dust from Comet Tempel–Tuttle and the fastest meteors of the year, 71 km/s. Usually 10–15 an hour, but every 33 years, after the comet returns, there have been meteor storms — thousands an hour in 1833 and 1966. The radiant in Leo's Sickle rises after midnight.
- Peak night
- 17–18 November
- ZHR
- up to 15 an hour
- Moon
- 55% — not in the way
- Active
- 6–30 November
- Radiant
- Leo · before dawn
- Best time over London
- around 05:56, radiant 60° up
- Under a dark sky
- ≈ 13 meteors an hour
- Speed
- 71 km/s
- Parent
- 55P/Tempel–Tuttle
How to see a meteor shower, not three meteors
- 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.
Leonids FAQ
When do the Leonids peak in 2026?
On the night of 17–18 November; over London the best time is around 05:56, when the radiant in Leo is 60° up.
How many meteors will I see?
The shower ZHR is 15; over London under a dark sky about 13 an hour, in a city just a few.
Will the Moon get in the way?
No: the Moon is 55% lit and out of the way at the best hours.
Other meteor showers of 2026
Quadrantids · 3–4 JanuaryLyrids · 22–23 AprilEta Aquariids · 5–6 MaySouthern Delta Aquariids · 31 July — 1 AugustAlpha Capricornids · 31 July — 1 AugustPerseids · 12–13 AugustDraconids · 8–9 OctoberOrionids · 21–22 OctoberSouthern Taurids · 5–6 NovemberNorthern Taurids · 12–13 NovemberDecember Monocerotids · 8–9 DecemberSigma Hydrids · 8–9 DecemberGeminids · 14–15 DecemberUrsids · 22–23 DecemberMeteor showers 2026 →