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Leonids Meteor Shower 2026 Viewing Guide: Nov 17–18 Peak, Moonless Pre-Dawn Window & 71 km/s Physics

Primary-source guide to the November 2026 Leonids meteor shower (active Nov 6–30, peaking Nov 17 at 23:45 UTC / 6:45 PM EST): why the 55% Moon sets around midnight for dark pre-dawn skies, realistic field rates vs. ZHR 15, 71 km/s Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle entry physics, and 1833/1966/1999–2002 storm history vs. 2026.

2026 Leonids Peak Schedule: November 17–18 & the Moonless Pre-Dawn Window

Active window and exact 2026 peak instant. According to the International Meteor Organization (IMO) 2026 Meteor Shower Calendar, the Leonids are active from November 6 to November 30, 2026, with the main nodal peak predicted for Tuesday, November 17, 2026 at 23:45 UTC (6:45 PM EST / 3:45 PM PST). Because the constellation Leo does not rise above the eastern horizon until around 10:30 PM to 11:30 PM local time, the prime viewing night for both Europe and North America is Tuesday night, November 17 into pre-dawn Wednesday, November 18, 2026 (with late Monday night, Nov 16 into pre-dawn Nov 17 as a strong backup night). [1] [4]

Why the 55% Moon helps you in 2026. At the moment of the 2026 peak, the Moon is near first quarter (55% illuminated) in Aquarius/Pisces (computed from JPL DE440). A first-quarter Moon sets around midnight local time—right as the Sickle of Leo clears the eastern horizon! That leaves completely dark, moonless skies from roughly 12:30 AM until dawn (~5:30 AM local time), the exact hours when Earth's leading hemisphere turns straight into the oncoming Leonid stream. [1] [4]

Realistic meteor counts vs. ZHR ~15. The IMO lists a 2026 peak Zenithal Hourly Rate (ZHR) of ~15 meteors per hour. Remember that ZHR is a standardized open-sky benchmark assuming pitch-black skies (limiting magnitude +6.5) and the radiant standing straight overhead at 90°. In the field between 1:00 AM and 5:00 AM, with the Leo radiant (`RA 153°, Dec +22°`) sitting 40° to 60° above the southeastern sky, a dark-adapted observer under rural skies will typically count 6 to 12 Leonids per hour (plus 5 to 8 sporadic background meteors). [1] [2]

Why Leonids Slam into Earth's Atmosphere at 71 km/s (159,000 mph)

Head-on collision with Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle's dust stream. Most planets and asteroids orbit the Sun counter-clockwise (prograde), but the Leonids' parent comet—55P/Tempel-Tuttle (orbital period 33.2 years, orbital inclination 162.5°)—travels in a nearly head-on retrograde orbit. As Earth moves around the Sun at 29.8 km/s and Tempel-Tuttle's meteoroids cross Earth's path at ~41.5 km/s in the opposite direction, the grains strike our upper atmosphere at 71 km/s (~159,000 mph)—more than double the speed of the December Geminids (35 km/s). [1] [2] [3]

High-altitude ionization (95–120 km) and persistent trains. Because kinetic energy scales with the square of velocity ($E_k = \frac{1}{2}mv^2$), a millimeter-sized Leonid dust grain packs over four times the energy of a Geminid grain of the same mass. Leonids begin vaporizing high in the thermosphere and upper mesosphere at 95 to 120 km (60 to 75 miles) altitude—the exact altitude band where green atomic oxygen aurora glows at 557.7 nm. Bright Leonid fireballs frequently leave glowing persistent ionization trains (driven by sodium, iron, magnesium, and atmospheric oxygen recombination) that can twist in upper-atmosphere winds for several minutes. [2] [3]

Early-evening 'Earth-grazer' meteors. Between 11:00 PM and 12:30 AM local time, when the Sickle of Leo sits just above the eastern horizon, meteoroids skimming nearly horizontally across the top of the atmosphere produce long, slow, colorful Earth-grazing streaks that can cross half the sky. [1] [2]

Leonid Meteor Storms (1833, 1966, 1999–2002) vs. What to Expect in 2026

Why the Leonids produce historic storms every ~33 years. Unlike steady background showers, the Leonids are famous for dramatic meteor storms (defined as ZHR > 1,000/hour) when Earth passes through dense, young dust trails ejected during recent perihelion passages of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. On November 12–13, 1833, observers across eastern North America witnessed 50,000 to 100,000+ meteors per hour, an event that founded modern meteor astronomy when Denison Olmsted noticed all streaks radiated from Leo. On November 17, 1966, western North American viewers counted up to 40 to 50 meteors per second (~140,000/hour) during a 20-minute peak. During the 1999, 2001, and 2002 returns, dust-trail models by David Asher, Robert McNaught, Esko Lyytinen, and Peter Jenniskens accurately predicted multi-thousand-per-hour outbursts to within minutes. [2]

Why 2026 is a baseline year (ZHR ~15), not a storm year. Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle last reached perihelion on February 28, 1998 and is currently inbound from the outer solar system toward its next perihelion in May 2031. In November 2026, Earth does not intersect the dense 1899, 1932, or 1965 core dust filaments, and planetary perturbations by Jupiter keep the main stream slightly displaced from Earth's orbit. Expect a classic, reliable ZHR ~15 background display rich in fast, bright streaks—not a 1,000/hour storm. [1] [2]

Step-by-Step Field & Camera Guide for the Night of Nov 17–18, 2026

1. Time your session for 12:30 AM to 5:00 AM local time. Let the 55%-lit Moon set around midnight, Bundle up in sub-freezing late-autumn layers, bring a reclining lawn chair and sleeping bag, and give your eyes 25 minutes without white phone screens to dark-adapt. [1] [3]

2. Look 30° to 45° away from the Sickle of Leo. Do not stare straight at the radiant in Leo—meteors heading straight toward you appear foreshortened. Instead, lie back and scan the dark sky halfway between Leo (in the east/southeast) and the zenith (overhead), toward Ursa Major, Gemini, or Orion, where Leonids slice across your view with long 20°–40° trails. [1] [3]

3. Camera settings for 71 km/s meteors. Because a Leonid crosses the sky in less than half a second, long shutter speeds do not make the meteor brighter—they only brighten the background sky! Use a fast wide-angle lens (14–24 mm at f/1.4 to f/2.8), set ISO 3200 to 6400, focus manually on Sirius, Regulus, or Jupiter, and run continuous 6-to-10-second exposures on an intervalometer. Compare all annual showers in our Perseids, Geminids & Major Meteor Showers Guide, check upcoming dates on Eclipses, Meteor Showers & Sky Events, or check if the northern lights will join the show on Aurora Tonight.

Frequently asked questions

Sources were checked on 2026-10-28. Text on this page is original. Quoted figures are attributed and linked to the source. General education only, not for safety or operational decisions. Disclaimer.