Leonid meteor shower 2026 (17–18 Nov): when to watch, where to look, does the Moon interfere?
This year the Leonids peak on the night of 17–18 November 2026, according to Thailand’s NARIT, at about 15 meteors an hour under a perfectly dark, open sky (an ideal maximum; you will usually see fewer). It is not the busiest shower of the year, but this year the Moon sets around midnight to 1 a.m., leaving dark skies afterwards, ideal for night owls.
The best time to watch
The meteors seem to spread from the constellation Leo, which rises in the east around midnight. The higher it climbs, the more meteors you see, so aim for roughly 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. (before dawn), when Leo is high and the Moon is down.
| Night | Moon lit | Moonset | Height of the radiant above the horizon (Bangkok) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17→18 Nov | 51% | 00:19 | 20:00 → -49° • 22:00 → -29° • 00:00 → -4° • 02:00 → 24° • 04:00 → 51° |
| 18→19 Nov | 61% | 01:08 | 20:00 → -49° • 22:00 → -28° • 00:00 → -3° • 02:00 → 25° • 04:00 → 52° |
How to watch
- Go somewhere dark and open, away from city lights. Lie back or use a reclining chair and take in the whole sky; no telescope or binoculars needed.
- Give your eyes 20–30 minutes to adapt. Avoid bright phone screens (use dark mode or a red light).
- Check clouds and rain with “Tonight’s sky” or “📅 Calendar” in the app. A 16-day forecast covers this night from about 2 November.
- Photos: tripod, wide-angle lens, ISO 1600–3200, widest aperture, 10–20 s exposures; shoot hundreds of frames and keep the ones with meteors.
Quick answers
What night are the Leonids? The night of 17–18 Nov 2026. Do I need equipment? No; the naked eye is best. Does the Moon interfere? A bright half-Moon is up early in the evening but sets around 00:19–01:08 in Bangkok; the sky is dark afterwards.