Meteor Shower Calendar 2026–2027: Peaks, Rates and Moonlight

The major meteor showers still ahead, with the peak times published by the International Meteor Organization and how much moonlight each peak night will have.

Data refreshed · Sources: IMO · astronomy-engine

This page is rebuilt from that data; anything whose time has passed drops out of the upcoming lists automatically.

  • Orionids 2026

    Bright moon

    Wed, 21 Oct 2026date only; IMO gives no time

    ZHR
    20+
    Active
    2 Oct 2026 – 7 Nov 2026
    Radiant
    06h 20m, +16°
    Speed
    66 km/s
    Moon at peak
    Waxing gibbous, 72% lit
  • Leonids 2026

    Some moonlight

    Tue, 17 Nov 2026, 23:45 UTC

    ZHR
    about 15
    Active
    6 Nov 2026 – 30 Nov 2026
    Radiant
    10h 08m, +22°
    Speed
    71 km/s
    Moon at peak
    First quarter, 55% lit
  • Geminids 2026

    Dark sky

    Mon, 14 Dec 2026, 14:00 UTC

    ZHR
    150
    Active
    4 Dec 2026 – 20 Dec 2026
    Radiant
    07h 28m, +33°
    Speed
    35 km/s
    Moon at peak
    Waxing crescent, 25% lit

    Full Geminids 2026 guide →

  • Ursids 2026

    Bright moon

    Tue, 22 Dec 2026, 22:00 UTC

    ZHR
    10
    Active
    17 Dec 2026 – 26 Dec 2026
    Radiant
    14h 28m, +76°
    Speed
    33 km/s
    Moon at peak
    Full moon, 98% lit
  • Quadrantids 2027

    Dark sky

    Mon, 4 Jan 2027, 03:25 UTC

    ZHR
    80 (can vary 60–200)
    Active
    28 Dec 2026 – 12 Jan 2027
    Radiant
    15h 20m, +49°
    Speed
    41 km/s
    Moon at peak
    Waning crescent, 12% lit
  • Lyrids 2027

    Bright moon

    Fri, 23 Apr 2027, 01:40 UTC

    ZHR
    18
    Active
    14 Apr 2027 – 30 Apr 2027
    Radiant
    18h 04m, +34°
    Speed
    49 km/s
    Moon at peak
    Waning gibbous, 95% lit
  • Eta Aquariids 2027

    Dark sky

    Thu, 6 May 2027, 09:00 UTC

    ZHR
    50 (variable, 40–80+)
    Active
    19 Apr 2027 – 28 May 2027
    Radiant
    22h 32m, −1°
    Speed
    66 km/s
    Moon at peak
    New moon, 0% lit
  • Perseids 2027

    Bright moon

    Fri, 13 Aug 2027, 08:00–10:00 UTC

    ZHR
    110+
    Active
    17 Jul 2027 – 24 Aug 2027
    Radiant
    03h 12m, +58°
    Speed
    59 km/s
    Moon at peak
    Waxing gibbous, 86% lit
  • Orionids 2027

    Some moonlight

    Fri, 22 Oct 2027date only; IMO gives no time

    ZHR
    20
    Active
    2 Oct 2027 – 7 Nov 2027
    Radiant
    06h 20m, +16°
    Speed
    66 km/s
    Moon at peak
    Last quarter, 58% lit
  • Leonids 2027

    Bright moon

    Thu, 18 Nov 2027, 06:00 UTC

    ZHR
    about 15
    Active
    6 Nov 2027 – 30 Nov 2027
    Radiant
    10h 08m, +22°
    Speed
    71 km/s
    Moon at peak
    Waning gibbous, 80% lit
  • Geminids 2027

    Bright moon

    Tue, 14 Dec 2027, 20:00 UTCapproximate

    ZHR
    150
    Active
    4 Dec 2027 – 20 Dec 2027
    Radiant
    07h 28m, +33°
    Speed
    35 km/s
    Moon at peak
    Full moon, 98% lit
  • Ursids 2027

    Dark sky

    Thu, 23 Dec 2027, 04:00 UTC

    ZHR
    10
    Active
    17 Dec 2027 – 26 Dec 2027
    Radiant
    14h 28m, +76°
    Speed
    33 km/s
    Moon at peak
    Waning crescent, 22% lit

IMO publishes each year’s calendar in the preceding year; showers for the following year are added when it appears.

How to read this table

ZHR, the zenithal hourly rate, is the number of meteors one observer would see in an hour under a perfectly dark, clear sky with the radiant straight overhead. It is a standard for comparing showers, not a promise: real counts are almost always lower.

The Moon matters as much as the shower. A bright Moon washes out the fainter meteors, which are the majority, so a strong shower under a full Moon can show fewer meteors than a modest one on a moonless night. We mark peaks as “dark sky” when the Moon is at most about a third lit, “some moonlight” up to 70%, and “bright moon” above that.

Peak times are the moments IMO predicts for the maximum. Some showers have broad maxima lasting a day or more (the Orionids, the Geminids), others are short (the Quadrantids peak for only a few hours), so the peak time is more critical for some than for others.

Sources

  1. 2026 Meteor Shower Calendar (IMO INFO(3-25)), edited by Jürgen Rendtel. International Meteor Organization
  2. 2027 Meteor Shower Calendar (IMO INFO(3-26)), edited by Jürgen Rendtel. International Meteor Organization
  3. Astronomy Engine (astronomy-engine 2.1.19), MIT licence. Don Cross