Will I see the Leonids 2026?
The fastest meteors of the year. Normally modest; the great Leonid storms of 1833, 1966 and 2001 came every 33 years.
Worth a look
Up to about 8 meteors an hour from a dark place near London around 06:02, with a half moon (52% lit), set by the best hour. In a city, about 1.
From your city, 17–18 Nov
Meteors an hour at the best moment of the peak night (local time), from a dark place nearby and from the city itself, and how often the sky was clear on that night (2014–2025).
UK & Ireland
| City | Best time | Dark sky | In the city | Clear sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 06:02 | 8/h | 1/h | 44% |
| Manchester | 06:02 | 8/h | 1/h | 21% |
| Birmingham | 06:02 | 8/h | 1/h | 41% |
| Bristol | 06:02 | 8/h | 1/h | 28% |
| Cardiff | 06:02 | 8/h | 1/h | 26% |
| Newcastle | 06:02 | 7/h | 1/h | 25% |
| Glasgow | 06:17 | 7/h | 1/h | 26% |
| Edinburgh | 06:17 | 7/h | 1/h | 23% |
| Belfast | 06:32 | 8/h | 1/h | 12% |
| Dublin | 06:17 | 8/h | 1/h | 33% |
Europe
| City | Best time | Dark sky | In the city | Clear sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris | 06:47 | 8/h | 1/h | 22% |
| Amsterdam | 06:32 | 7/h | 1/h | 15% |
| Brussels | 06:32 | 8/h | 1/h | 26% |
| Berlin | 06:02 | 7/h | 1/h | 24% |
| Munich | 06:02 | 7/h | 1/h | 25% |
| Zurich | 06:17 | 8/h | 1/h | 39% |
| Vienna | 05:47 | 7/h | 1/h | 23% |
| Copenhagen | 06:17 | 7/h | 1/h | 29% |
| Stockholm | 06:02 | 7/h | 1/h | 14% |
| Oslo | 06:32 | 7/h | 1/h | 19% |
| Helsinki | 06:32 | 6/h | 1/h | 12% |
| Reykjavík | 07:47 | 7/h | 1/h | 24% |
| Madrid | 06:47 | 8/h | 1/h | 55% |
| Barcelona | 06:32 | 8/h | 1/h | 61% |
| Lisbon | 06:17 | 9/h | 1/h | 41% |
| Rome | 05:47 | 8/h | 1/h | 64% |
| Athens | 06:02 | 7/h | 1/h | – |
North America
| City | Best time | Dark sky | In the city | Clear sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 05:32 | 11/h | 2/h | 61% |
| Boston | 05:32 | 11/h | 2/h | 65% |
| Washington DC | 05:47 | 11/h | 2/h | 75% |
| Atlanta | 06:02 | 11/h | 2/h | 77% |
| Miami | 05:47 | 11/h | 2/h | 57% |
| Chicago | 05:32 | 11/h | 2/h | 57% |
| Dallas | 06:02 | 12/h | 2/h | 73% |
| Denver | 05:32 | 12/h | 2/h | 67% |
| Phoenix | 06:02 | 13/h | 2/h | 80% |
| Los Angeles | 05:17 | 13/h | 2/h | 79% |
| San Francisco | 05:47 | 13/h | 2/h | 75% |
| Seattle | 06:02 | 13/h | 2/h | 71% |
| Toronto | 06:02 | 11/h | 2/h | 56% |
| Montreal | 05:47 | 11/h | 2/h | 54% |
| Vancouver | 06:02 | 12/h | 2/h | 58% |
| Calgary | 06:32 | 12/h | 2/h | 54% |
Australia, New Zealand & South Africa
| City | Best time | Dark sky | In the city | Clear sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | 04:32 | 5/h | 1/h | 43% |
| Melbourne | 04:47 | 4/h | 1/h | 44% |
| Brisbane | 03:47 | 6/h | 1/h | 49% |
| Perth | 04:02 | 5/h | 1/h | 59% |
| Auckland | 04:47 | 4/h | 1/h | – |
| Christchurch | 04:32 | 3/h | 0/h | – |
| Cape Town | 04:17 | 3/h | 0/h | 73% |
The coming years
The moon decides most years. From a dark place near London at the best time:
| Year | Peak night (UK) | Moon | Meteors/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 17–18 Nov | 52% | 8 |
| 2027 | 17–18 Nov | 84% | 2 |
| 2028 | 16–17 Nov | 1% | 11 |
| 2029 | 16–17 Nov | 87% | 11 |
Leonids in numbers
- Active
- Nov 6 – Nov 30
- Radiant
- Leo (RA 152°, Dec +22°)
- Speed
- 71 km/s
- Parent
- comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle
- Best from
- both hemispheres
Other showers coming up
Northern Taurids
Quiet showerUp to 5 an hour in perfect skiesGeminids
Great yearUp to 150 an hour in perfect skiesUrsids
Quiet showerUp to 10 an hour in perfect skiesQuadrantids
Worth a lookUp to 80 an hour in perfect skiesLeonids: questions
It peaks at 15:02 UTC on 17 November 2026, so the best night is 17–18 November 2026 in the UK. It is active from Nov 6 – Nov 30.
In perfect skies up to 15 an hour (the ZHR). From a dark place near London, about 8 an hour at the best time; near New York 11; near Sydney 5. From a town, about a fifth of that.
Around 06:02 in the UK on the peak night, when the radiant in Leo is 60° high and the moon is down. Check your own city above.
Dust from comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. The Earth crosses its trail every year; the bits burn up at 71 km/s about 100 km up. They seem to come from Leo, which gives the shower its name.
From airport weather records 2014–2025, the sky on the Leonids peak nights was on average 44% clear in London, 61% in New York and 43% in Sydney. Every city is in the table above.