Northern hemisphere favoured. Leo rises after midnight and is highest before dawn; from far southern latitudes the radiant stays low.
The best time to see Leonid Meteor Shower in 2028 is November 17-18, 2028. Timing status: Predicted dates.
Fast meteors with a history of once-in-a-generation storms.
The Leonids are usually modest, but every few decades they erupt into a true meteor storm. Even in a quiet year the meteors are among the fastest of all, best before dawn.
Moon at the peak: new moon, 1% lit (ideal). Almost no moonlight, so even the faint meteors show. About as good as this shower gets.
Why it happens
Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle
Inclined 162° to Earth's orbit. Every November, Earth reaches the node where this comet's dust crosses its path, and the debris burns up as the shower.
