Leonid Meteor Shower 2026: When and Where to See It in the UK

When and where to see the Leonid meteor shower in the UK, the comet behind it and a wish for each shooting star

The Leonid meteor shower 2026 peaks on the night of Tuesday 17 into Wednesday 18 November 2026. Here is the best time to look from the UK, what you can expect to see, the story behind the shower, and a simple way to make the night your own.

Leonid Meteor Shower 2026: When to Look From the UK

The Leonids are active from 6 to 30 November, but the night to circle is Tuesday 17 into Wednesday 18 November.

The Moon is close to first quarter that night and sets around midnight. That leaves the small hours dark, which is exactly when the shower is best, because the constellation Leo, where the meteors seem to start, is climbing higher in the east.

If the 17th is cloudy, try the nights either side. The shower carries on at a lower rate for several days around the peak.

How to Watch the Leonids

1. Find somewhere dark: away from street lights, with a wide view of the sky.
2. Wrap up warmly: a November night in the UK is cold, so bring a blanket, a hat and a flask.
3. Lie back: a reclining chair or a mat on the ground lets you take in as much sky as possible.
4. Give your eyes time: about twenty minutes to adjust to the dark. Keep your phone screen away.
5. Look anywhere: you do not need to stare at Leo. The meteors streak across the whole sky. Trace them back and they all point to Leo.

Leonids are some of the fastest meteors of the year and often leave a brief glowing trail. You will not need a telescope or binoculars, just patience.

The Comet Behind the Leonids

Every meteor shower comes from a comet. The Leonids are tiny grains of dust shed by Comet Tempel Tuttle, which loops around the Sun roughly every 33 years. Each November the Earth passes through its trail and the grains burn up high in our atmosphere.

The Leonids have a famous past. In November 1833 they produced a storm over North America so intense that people woke their neighbours, convinced the stars were falling. That night is often credited with starting the scientific study of meteor showers. Another storm lit up the skies in 1966.

No storm is expected in 2026, so a normal, steady shower is the honest forecast.

Shooting Stars in Folklore

Wishing on a shooting star is one of the most widespread folk customs in the world, and people across Britain still do it without thinking. Other traditions have told stories of shooting stars as souls passing, or as sparks from the heavens. These are stories rather than history, but they explain why a meteor shower still feels like a night for wishes.

A Shooting Star Wish Ritual

A simple way to mark the Leonids, whether you watch from a garden or a window.

1. Before you go out, write three short wishes on a slip of paper and keep it in your pocket.
2. Hold a stone from the sky, such as a piece of moldavite or a meteorite pendant, while you watch.
3. Each time you see a meteor, quietly say one of your wishes.
4. Back inside, light a white chime candle and write the date and how many meteors you saw in your Moon Phase Notebook.

Stones From the Sky

A meteor shower is a natural moment for the stones that came from, or were made by, space.

See all of them in our tektites and impact glass collection.

More Meteors This Season

• The Taurids: active through much of October and November at a low rate, but known for the occasional slow, bright fireball. Any clear November night is worth a look.
• The Geminids: usually the best shower of the year, peaking around the night of 13 into 14 December. With the new moon on 9 December, the Moon will be a thin crescent that sets early, which should leave a dark sky.

A winter of clear nights is a lovely reason to start a sky journal: the date, the weather, the Moon’s phase and what you saw.

Where to See the Leonid Meteor Shower 2026 in the UK

The single biggest thing you can do to see more Leonids is get away from street lights. The UK has some of the darkest skies in Europe, and several are officially recognised for it.

Area	Dark sky places
England	Northumberland and Kielder, Exmoor, the North York Moors, the Yorkshire Dales, the South Downs and Cranborne Chase
Wales	Eryri (Snowdonia), Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons) and the Elan Valley
Scotland	Galloway Forest Park, the Isle of Coll and Tomintoul and Glenlivet in the Cairngorms
Northern Ireland	OM Dark Sky Park in County Tyrone

You do not have to travel far, though. A back garden with the house lights off, a field at the edge of a village or a country lane well away from traffic will show you plenty on a clear night.

Check the Weather the Day Before

A meteor shower depends on clear skies more than anything else, and November in the UK is often cloudy. Check the cloud forecast for your area on 17 November and have the nights either side as back ups, since the Leonids keep going at a lower rate for several days.

A clear, cold night after rain is often the sharpest of all, as the air has been washed clean.

Photographing the Leonids on a Phone

Meteors are hard to photograph, but many newer phones can catch one with a little patience.

1. Steady the phone: a small tripod, or wedge it against a wall or a bag.
2. Use night mode: or a long exposure setting if your phone has one.
3. Point it at a wide patch of sky: about halfway up, roughly towards Leo in the east.
4. Take lots of shots: most frames will show only stars, which is still a lovely record of the night.

Better still, put the phone down for most of the night and simply watch. The best memories of a meteor shower are rarely the photographs.

Meteor, Meteoroid or Meteorite?

Three words that are easy to mix up, and worth knowing before you hold a stone from the sky.

• Meteoroid: the tiny grain of dust or rock travelling through space. Leonid meteoroids are mostly smaller than a grain of sand.
• Meteor: the streak of light you see when one burns up in our atmosphere. This is the shooting star.
• Meteorite: a piece that survives the fall and lands on the ground. The Leonids are far too small to leave any, but larger rocks do, such as the iron of the Campo del Cielo meteorite.

When Is the Next Leonid Storm?

The great Leonid storms of 1833 and 1966 came a year or two after Comet Tempel Tuttle passed close to the Sun. The comet next returns to the inner solar system in the early 2030s, and some forecasters expect stronger Leonid displays around then.

Nothing is certain with meteor storms, and none is expected in 2026. A steady shower of up to about 15 meteors an hour is the honest forecast, and on a dark night that is plenty to make a wish on.

The Leonids in the November Sky

The peak falls in the last week of Scorpio season, with the Moon a growing crescent passing first quarter at 11.47am on Tuesday 17 November. By the small hours of the 18th the Moon has set and the sky belongs to Leo, the constellation the shower is named after.

It sits a week after Mercury turns direct and a week before the Beaver supermoon on 24 November. Many people use the Leonids as a halfway wish between the new moon of 9 November and the full moon, a small spark of hope in the darkest month.

Quick Questions About the Leonids

When is the Leonid meteor shower 2026?

The Leonids are active from 6 to 30 November 2026 and peak on the night of 17 into 18 November.

What time is best to see the Leonids in the UK?

After midnight on 17 into 18 November, once the Moon has set, until the sky begins to lighten before dawn.

Where should I look?

Anywhere with a wide view of dark sky. The meteors appear to come from the constellation Leo, which rises in the east late in the evening.

Do I need a telescope?

No. Meteors are best seen with the naked eye.

Which direction should I face to see the Leonids?

Face roughly east or south east, towards the constellation Leo, but take in as much sky as you can. Meteors can appear anywhere, and those further from Leo often have longer trails.

Is there another meteor shower in November 2026?

Yes, the Taurids are active through much of October and November at a low rate and are known for the occasional slow, bright fireball.

Where is the best place to see the Leonids in the UK?

Anywhere dark with a wide view of the sky. Dark sky places such as Northumberland, Exmoor, Eryri, Bannau Brycheiniog and Galloway Forest Park are among the best.

Will there be a Leonid meteor storm in 2026?

No storm is expected in 2026. Stronger displays may return in the early 2030s, when the parent comet comes back close to the Sun.

Dates and viewing times follow the Royal Observatory Greenwich Leonid guide.