Leonids 2026 — what to expect
The Leonid meteor shower is active from approximately 6–30 November each year, with the sharp peak on 17–18 November. The shower's radiant — the point in the sky from which meteors appear to originate — lies in the sickle of Leo, near the bright star Gamma Leonis. The radiant rises in the east around midnight local time, so the best observing is in the pre-dawn hours of 18 November.
For 2026, the Moon is near last quarter and rises around midnight — it will somewhat compromise the darkest hours. Best strategy: observe between 10 pm and midnight before moonrise, and again in the pre-dawn window if you can tolerate some moonlight. Meteors from the Leonids are fast and often leave persistent glowing trains — greenish trails that linger for seconds after the meteor itself has gone.
The parent comet: Tempel-Tuttle
55P/Tempel-Tuttle is a short-period comet (orbital period 33.2 years) that last came to perihelion in 1998. On each orbit, it sheds material into a stream that Earth crosses annually. In years close to the comet's perihelion passage — its next is 2031 — Earth can encounter freshly deposited, dense filaments of debris, producing storm-level rates. The 1999 storm reached 3,700 meteors per hour. The 2026 shower is a normal-activity year, but Leonids always repay patience.
The physics of why meteors are produced this way is explained in our guide to asteroids, comets and meteors. For context on the Geminids — the year's most reliable shower, from an asteroid rather than a comet — see the Geminids 2026 event page.