Meteor shower Leonids — observing times and guide
Leonids visibility on 2026-11-18
Leonids rise and set timetable
| Time | Elevation | |
| Leonids radiant transit | 05:35 | 74° |
Moonrise, 55.1% illuminated  | 12:26 | 3° |
| Leonids radiant set | 12:44 | |
| Astronomical observing session begins | 17:26 | -31° |
| Leonids radiant rise | 22:23 | |
| Moonset | 00:22 | 22° |
| Astronomical observing session ends | 04:20 | 68° |
| Twilight end | 04:51 | 72° |
| Civil sunrise | 05:23 | 74° |
| Sunrise | 05:52 | 73° |
Track Leonids Position Throughout the Night
← 18 November 2026 →
| Time | |
| Altitude | |
| Azimuth |
Moon conditions for Leonids — 2026
Meteor visibility depends strongly on the Moon’s position and brightness. This chart helps identify darker observing periods.
Blue and white show night and day; red marks when the radiant is above the horizon, the white line its transit, and grey when the Moon is above the horizon. Select a date for detailed Sun and Moon times.
Observing the Leonids
Radiant position:
- Right Ascension: 10h 18m 25s"
- Declination: 21° 24' 00s
Peak activity: Active from October 30 to December 11; with peak activity around November 18.
Associated parent body: Leonids is produced by debris associated with 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. Earth encounters this stream along its orbit.
Leonids — Observation history
Previous activity records show the reported start, peak and end dates. Exact dates may shift slightly from year to year.
| Year | Start date | Peak date | End date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-mm-dd | November 14 | November 17 | November 20 |
| 1970-mm-dd | - | November 17 | - |
| 1993-mm-dd | - | November 18 | - |
| 2003-mm-dd | - | November 18 | - |
| 2008-mm-dd | November 10 | November 18 | November 19 |
| 2009-mm-dd | November 3 | November 17 | November 29 |
| 2010-mm-dd | November 12 | November 19 | November 19 |
| 2015-08-23 | November 2 | November 17 | November 30 |
| 2023-05-01 | October 31 | November 19 | December 11 |
Use these dates as a historical guide and check current predictions near the event.
Data Credits
Meteor data are provided by the International Astronomical Union Meteor Data Center . We thank the observers and researchers who contribute these records.