Meteor Shower
About
Leonids Meteor Shower
Each November, Earth crosses the debris trail of comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, producing the Leonid meteor shower. This is among the fastest meteors of any annual display, striking the atmosphere at 44 miles a second. In 2026 the Leonids peak on the night of November 17–18, with a typical rate of 10 to 15 meteors an hour under dark skies, and a reputation for bright, occasionally fireball-class streaks that leave glowing trains behind them.
The one complication this year is the Moon: a waxing gibbous lights the sky through the evening and doesn't set until several hours before dawn. That leaves a genuinely dark window in the last hour or two before sunrise — the same stretch of night when the Leonid radiant, in the constellation Leo, climbs highest. Leonids are not an every-year spectacle on the scale of their historic meteor-storm years, but a clear night still rewards patient watching with some of the fastest, brightest streaks of the season.
Best Places to Experience
Leonids Meteor Shower
Dark-sky destinations that pair well with this celestial moment.
Jasper National Park, Canada
The second-largest Dark Sky Preserve on Earth, and the largest one you can drive into — Canadian Rockies scenery by day, horizon-to-horizon stars by night.
Big Bend Ranch State Park, Texas
The darkest stretch of the darkest state for stargazing, a Gold Tier Dark Sky Park along the Rio Grande with wide-open desert horizons.
Galloway Forest Park, Scotland
The UK's first International Dark Sky Park, nearly 300 square miles of forest with barely a streetlight in sight.
Kerry International Dark-Sky Reserve, Ireland
One of only four Gold Tier Dark Sky Reserves on Earth, covering roughly 700 square kilometers of Ireland's Iveragh Peninsula.
Where to Stay
Resorts and lodges suited for turning the event into a full night-sky trip.
Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge — a lakeside lodge inside the preserve itself, home to the Jasper Planetarium and its own dome telescope.
Lajitas Golf Resort & Spa, Big Bend — a 27,000-acre resort at the edge of Big Bend Ranch State Park, one of the best places for stargazing with elevated, sweeping views..
Knockinaam Lodge, Dumfries & Galloway — a secluded country-house hotel on Scotland's southwest coast, within easy reach of the Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park.
Parknasilla Resort & Spa, Sneem — a 500-acre coastal estate on the Ring of Kerry with a full spa and private beach, once a favorite of Charlie Chaplin, Grace Kelly, and Charles de Gaulle.
What to Do
• Guide-led star party — a local astronomer traces the Leonid radiant in Leo and points out the rest of the autumn sky while you wait between streaks.
• Late-night moonset watch — the waxing gibbous moon sets a few hours before dawn; watching the sky darken in real time is part of the show.
• Fireball photography session — a hands-on lesson in capturing the Leonids' occasional bright, fast fireballs.
• Daytime forest, canyon, or coastal walk — explore the destination's daylight scenery before the night sky takes over.
What to Bring
• Reclining chair or ground pad — the best window falls in the pre-dawn hours, so comfort matters for a long wait.
• Warm layers — late-autumn nights swing toward freezing well before dawn.
• Red light — a red-beam flashlight or headlamp preserves night vision between streaks.
• Wide-angle camera and tripod — Leonids move fast, so a tracker helps for wide star fields, but isn't required to catch a bright fireball.
Your Night, Hour by Hour
How the night unfolds, from first dark to first light
FIRST
Evening: Rest Up
The Leonids reward a late start. A first quarter moon lights the evening sky and Leo hasn't risen yet, so there's little to see before midnight. Eat, nap, and lay out warm layers. Mid-November nights after midnight drop well below what the evening temperature suggests, and you'll be sitting still for hours.
NEXT
Near Midnight: Moonset and Leo Rises
The moon sets and the sky turns genuinely dark. Around the same time, Leo climbs above the eastern horizon; look for the Sickle, a backward question mark of stars that marks the radiant. Head outside, set up a reclining chair with a wide view, and give your eyes 20 to 30 minutes to fully adjust.
THEN
Early Morning: The Shower Builds
As Leo climbs, your side of Earth turns head-on into the debris of Comet Tempel-Tuttle, and rates build toward about 15 meteors per hour. These are the fastest meteors of any annual shower, striking at 71 km/s. Watch for blue-green streaks and glowing trains that can hang in the sky for minutes after the meteor is gone.
FINALLY
Before Dawn: The Best Hour
Rates peak in the last dark hours, with Leo high in the southeast. This is also the best time for a camera on a tripod, since Leonid trains linger long enough to photograph. Stay until twilight. In 1833 this same shower produced a storm of over 100,000 meteors an hour; that is not expected in 2026, but every Leonid comes from that same stream.
Make the most of this dark-sky event.