SCIENCE COUNTDOWNS / SKYWATCHING / LEONIDS
2026 Leonid Meteor Shower Countdown
An old comet leaves a fleeting signature
Watch for Leonid meteors, then compare your sky with the observing reports. A peak night is a window, not a promise of a meteor storm.
To the start-date marker for the predicted peak night; not a universal peak hour
WHAT TO FOLLOW
A shower is a pattern in many brief events.
The Leonids connect a familiar night sky with debris from comet 55P/Tempel–Tuttle. The American Meteor Society’s 2026 calendar places the predicted peak night on November 16–17. This is a chance to look for individual streaks and compare an observation with other reports.
Choose a safe, dark place with a broad view. Let your eyes adjust, keep bright screens dim and record how long you actually watch. Clouds and artificial light can change the number you see. A quiet interval is useful context for your notes; a single spectacular streak does not establish the overall shower rate.
Leonids have produced famous storms in other years. That history does not promise one in 2026. Treat the date as an observing invitation, then return to the reports to see how this year developed.
QUESTIONS TO RETURN FOR
Keep the evidence in view.
What should I record?
Write down your location, observing interval, cloud cover and approximate count. Keep uncertain shower identifications separate from confident ones.
Do I need a telescope?
A broad naked-eye view is more useful for catching brief trails than a narrow telescopic field. A comfortable seat can make a patient watch easier.
What would make this interesting?
Compare two observers’ conditions before comparing their totals. The same shower can look very different under different skies.
CONTINUE THE INVESTIGATION
Follow the thread.
DATE & SCIENCE SOURCES
The American Meteor Society lists November 16–17 as the 2026 Leonid peak night. This clock uses November 16 at 00:00 UTC only as a date marker. Your useful observing hours depend on location, darkness, the radiant’s height and weather. The peak does not occur at midnight everywhere.
Source and schedule review: . Check the mission or observing source for later changes. A clock reaching zero does not confirm an outcome.Remind me to check the outcome
Choose your calendar
Return for reports on at 9:00 a.m. in your calendar’s time zone, two days after the event day or window ends.
This is a return-for-results reminder, not the event time or an observing alarm. Check the date, time and alert before saving. Reports may take longer.
Saved reminders do not update if the schedule changes. Remove the old reminder and add a new one from this page.
Need another way?
Download the calendar file (.ics) and open it in your calendar. For Outlook on the web, choose Add calendar → Upload from file. For Google Calendar on a computer, choose Settings → Import & export → Import.
This reminder date has passed. Read the event file for the latest status.
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