Leonids 2026
Peak night: November 17, 2026 · Moon: 48% illuminated
The Leonids are active Nov 6 – Nov 30, radiating from Leo, with up to ~15 meteors/hour under a perfect dark sky at peak. They are debris from comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle.
In 2026, the moon is 48% illuminated on the peak night — a mixed year: expect real moonlight during part of the night.
How to watch
- No telescope, no binoculars — meteors are a naked-eye show. Bring a reclining chair and 30 minutes of patience for your eyes to adapt.
- The later the better: radiants climb after midnight, and rates climb with them.
- Darkness matters more than anything else. A Bortle 2 sky shows several times more meteors than a suburban one.
Where to watch from
The darkest measured skies in our directory — any of these turns a good shower into a memorable one:
- Cabeza Prieta Wilderness — Arizona · Sky Score 75/100
- Queer Mountain Wilderness Study Area — Nevada · Sky Score 73/100
- Death Valley National Park — Nevada · Sky Score 73/100
- Kofa Wilderness — Arizona · Sky Score 73/100
- KOFA Pronghorn Protected Area — Arizona · Sky Score 73/100
- Grapevine Mountains Wilderness Study Area — Nevada · Sky Score 72/100
- Trigo Mountain Wilderness — Arizona · Sky Score 72/100
- Rawhide Mountains Wilderness — Arizona · Sky Score 72/100