Meteor shower calendar
The 14 major meteor showers in the next twelve months, each with how many meteors an hour you might really see from your city, not just the textbook rate. Next up: the Leonids, peaking around Nov 17, 2026 (UTC).
| Shower | Peak | Where on Earth |
|---|---|---|
| LeonidsZHR 15+ · 71 km/s · radiant in Leo | Nov 17, 2026active Nov 5 to Nov 30 | Its radiant climbs well up from north of about 58° S. The Moon is 55% lit at the peak. |
| Alpha-MonocerotidsZHR variable · 65 km/s · radiant in Canis Minor | Nov 22, 2026active Nov 14 to Nov 25 | Its radiant climbs well up from north of about 79° S. The Moon is 91% lit at the peak. |
| PhoenicidsZHR variable · 15 km/s · radiant in Sculptor | Dec 2, 2026active Nov 19 to Dec 5 | Its radiant climbs well up from south of about 53° N. The Moon is 41% lit at the peak. |
| Puppid-VelidsZHR 10 · 44 km/s · radiant in Vela | Dec 7, 2026active Nov 30 to Dec 15 | Its radiant climbs well up from south of about 35° N. A dark Moon at the peak (2% lit). |
| GeminidsZHR 150 · 35 km/s · radiant in Gemini | Dec 14, 2026active Dec 3 to Dec 20 | Its radiant climbs well up from north of about 47° S. The Moon is 25% lit at the peak. |
| UrsidsZHR 10 · 33 km/s · radiant in Ursa Minor | Dec 22, 2026active Dec 16 to Dec 26 | Its radiant climbs well up from north of about 4° S. The Moon is 98% lit at the peak. |
| QuadrantidsZHR 80+ · 41 km/s · radiant in Bootes | Jan 4, 2027active Dec 28 to Jan 13 | Its radiant climbs well up from north of about 31° S. A dark Moon at the peak (12% lit). |
| April LyridsZHR 18 · 49 km/s · radiant in Hercules | Apr 23, 2027active Apr 14 to Apr 30 | Its radiant climbs well up from north of about 46° S. The Moon is 95% lit at the peak. |
| Pi-PuppidsZHR variable · 18 km/s · radiant in Puppis | Apr 24, 2027active Apr 14 to Apr 29 | Its radiant climbs well up from south of about 35° N. The Moon is 88% lit at the peak. |
| Eta-AquariidsZHR 50 · 66 km/s · radiant in Aquarius | May 6, 2027active Apr 18 to May 29 | Its radiant climbs well up from south of about 79° N. A dark Moon at the peak (0% lit). |
| June BootidsZHR variable · 18 km/s · radiant in Bootes | Jun 22, 2027active Jun 21 to Jul 3 | Its radiant climbs well up from north of about 32° S. The Moon is 91% lit at the peak. |
| Southern Delta-AquariidsZHR 25 · 41 km/s · radiant in Aquarius | Jul 31, 2027active Jul 12 to Aug 24 | Its radiant climbs well up from south of about 64° N. A dark Moon at the peak (4% lit). |
| PerseidsZHR 110+ · 59 km/s · radiant in Cassiopeia | Aug 13, 2027active Jul 17 to Aug 24 | Its radiant climbs well up from north of about 22° S. The Moon is 87% lit at the peak. |
| OrionidsZHR 20 · 66 km/s · radiant in Orion | Oct 22, 2027active Oct 2 to Nov 8 | Its radiant climbs well up from north of about 64° S. The Moon is 58% lit at the peak. |
Good years and weak years
The same shower can be superb one year and disappointing the next, mostly because of the Moon. Here are the three strongest showers this year and next, rated the same way:
| Shower | Year | Latitude | You might see |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quadrantids | 2026 | Mid-northern (41° N) | about 14 an hour; Moon 99% lit |
| Perseids | 2026 | Mid-northern (41° N) | about 44 an hour; Moon 0% lit |
| Geminids | 2026 | Mid-northern (41° N) | about 54 an hour; Moon 22% lit |
| Quadrantids | 2027 | Mid-northern (41° N) | about 33 an hour; Moon 12% lit |
| Perseids | 2027 | Mid-northern (41° N) | about 25 an hour; Moon 86% lit |
| Geminids | 2027 | Mid-northern (41° N) | about 19 an hour; Moon 97% lit |
| Quadrantids | 2026 | Mid-southern (34° S) | few if any (radiant below the horizon) |
| Perseids | 2026 | Mid-southern (34° S) | few if any (radiant below the horizon) |
| Geminids | 2026 | Mid-southern (34° S) | about 21 an hour; Moon 25% lit |
| Quadrantids | 2027 | Mid-southern (34° S) | few if any (radiant below the horizon) |
| Perseids | 2027 | Mid-southern (34° S) | few if any (radiant below the horizon) |
| Geminids | 2027 | Mid-southern (34° S) | about 7 an hour; Moon 99% lit |
How these numbers are worked out
The list of showers, their peak dates (as the Sun’s position along its path), radiants, speeds and zenithal hourly rates is the International Meteor Organization’s working list, the same file Everdust’s Tonight’s Sky ships. For each peak night at your place this page finds the dark hours, how high the radiant climbs, and how much of the night a bright Moon is up, then scales the rate: the radiant’s height (meteors from a low radiant are fewer), a typical suburban sky, and the Moon, using the IMO’s formula for how much a brighter sky hides. The result is what one person might count in an hour from a reasonably dark place at the best time. Your mileage will vary, and a few showers have occasional outbursts nobody can schedule.
Questions people ask
When is the next meteor shower? The next major peak is the Leonids, around Nov 17, 2026 (UTC). The Moon is 55% lit at the peak. How many you might see depends on where you are and how dark your sky is: choose your city on this page to rate it.
Why do I see fewer meteors than the ZHR? The zenithal hourly rate (ZHR) is what one observer would see under a perfect dark sky with the radiant straight overhead. Real skies are brighter, the radiant is lower and the Moon may be up, so this page scales the ZHR for all three, the same way Everdust's Tonight's Sky does.
What time is best to watch a meteor shower? Usually after midnight, when the radiant is higher and your side of Earth faces forward along its orbit. Each row gives the best time for your city: when the radiant stands highest in the dark.
Source: International Meteor Organization, Meteor Shower Calendar 2027, Table 5 (Working List of Visual Meteor Showers). Dates, radiant heights and the Moon are computed with Astronomy Engine (Don Cross, MIT license). This page refreshes every six hours.
See them in Everdust: Tonight’s Sky in Everdust for Android shows the showers coming up from where you are. More: the eclipse calendar and what’s in your sky tonight.