Leonid Meteor Shower 2026

The Leonid meteor shower originates from Comet Tempel-Tuttle. The comet was discovered in 1865.

As this comet travels close to the Sun, it leaves behind a trail of debris: small meteoroids spread out in space that cross Earth’s orbit. As Earth moves around the Sun, it passes through this stream of debris at certain times each year. When these particles enter Earth’s atmosphere at very high speed, they heat up through friction with the air and burn, creating the streaks of light we call meteors.

The Leonids are active from November 6 – 30, 2026, peaking on the night of November 16 and the morning of November 17 with up to 15 meteors per hour under ideal conditions.

A waxing crescent Moon, about 36% illuminated, will be in the sky on peak night. Its light may hide fainter meteors while it is above the horizon.

This meteor shower is best observed if you are patient and watch from after midnight until just before dawn, from a dark location far from city lights. You don’t need special equipment such as a telescope or binoculars, just your naked eyes and good weather! The radiant of this meteor shower is in the constellation Leo, but meteors can appear anywhere in the sky.