Meteor showers to watch in 2026

Meteors are often called shooting stars, though the bright streaks you see in the sky don’t have anything to do with stars.

In fact, what you’re wishing on are tiny particles of dust – leftovers from the birth of our solar system – vaporising in Earth’s atmosphere.

Tips for watching meteor showers

Some of the more spectacular meteors can be visible from city centres, including in London. However, you’ll get the best experience away from the light pollution in urban areas.

“The darker the skies, the better your chances of seeing the really faint meteors as well,” says Ashley. “You could go to the coast or stand on a hill in the middle of the countryside somewhere.”

Bright moonlight can interrupt your view of meteors too. If the skies are clear, the Perseids may be one of the best showers to watch this year as its peak in August coincides with a new Moon.

You also need to be patient.

“You might not be able to see anything for the first 10 minutes while your eyes adjust to the dark,” Ashley adds.

“Once you get used to the low light levels you’ll begin to notice more and more. So don’t give up too quickly.”

What causes a meteor shower?

Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through streams of tiny pieces of debris left behind by comets and asteroids – these space rocks are known as meteoroids. The peak of a meteor shower occurs as we pass through the densest part of the debris stream, so we see the highest rate of meteors then.

Nearly all meteors are tiny dust particles, about the size of a grain of sand travelling at tens of kilometres per second through space.

“As they come out of the vacuum of space and into Earth’s atmosphere, that little dust grain interacts with all the particles and ions in the atmosphere. It gets heated up by the friction and forms the impressive flash that we see,” he says.

“The Earth isn’t close to the comet or asteroid – it’s just passing through some of the dust it left behind.”

There are numerous showers that occur around the same time every year. You may still see meteors outside of these annual showers, but only about one every 10 minutes. These are known as sporadic meteors and they’ll come from random directions.

Top meteor showers to look out for in 2026

• The Quadrantids, due to peak on 4 January with up to 120 meteors per hour, possibly from the trail of the asteroid or extinct comet 2003 EH1.
• The Lyrids, due to peak on 22 April with around 18 meteors per hour from the trail of the comet Thatcher.
• The Eta Aquariids, due to peak on 6 May with up to 50 meteors per hour from the trail of the comet 1P/Halley.
• The Delta Aquariids, due to peak on 31 July with around 25 meteors per hour, possibly from the trail of comet 96P/Machholz.
• The Perseids, due to peak on 13 August with more than 100 meteors per hour from the trail of the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.
• The Draconids, due to peak on 9 October with usually less than 10 meteors per hour from the trail of comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner.
• The Orionids, due to peak on 21 October with up to 20 meteors per hour from the trail of the comet 1P/Halley.
• The Northern Taurids, due to peak on 12 November with around five meteors per hour from the trails of comet 2P/Encke or associated objects.
• The Leonids, due to peak on 17 November with up to 15 meteors per hour from the trail of the comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle.
• The Geminids, due to peak on 14 December with up to 150 meteors per hour from the trail of the asteroid 3200 Phaethon.
• The Ursids, due to peak on 22 December and usually produces fewer than 10 meteors per hour from the trail of the comet 8P/Tuttle.

Lyrid meteor shower

Active from: 14 to 30 April 2026
Peak: 22 April

The Lyrid meteor shower occurs as Earth’s orbit passes through the dust trail left behind hundreds of years ago by comet C/186 G1 (Thatcher).

At its peak, it often produces displays of around 18 meteors per hour. ‘Lyrid fireballs’ are spectacular. These occur when meteoroids the size of a large marble pass through the atmosphere. Their slightly larger size produces a meteor train which we see as a flash and line across the night sky.

This year, the peak of the Lyrids falls just before a first quarter Moon – when the Moon appears half illuminated. You should still be able to see some meteors, but viewing conditions won’t be perfect.

The Lyrid meteor shower gets its name because it appears to radiate from the area of the sky near the constellation Lyra, the Harp, but the meteors can appear anywhere in the sky.

Around this time, from 19 April to 28 May, we can also see the Eta Aquariid meteor shower. This shower is caused by debris from Halley’s comet – the same comet that causes the Orionids later in the year – and its meteors appear low in the sky.

Comet Thatcher

Comet Thatcher, responsible for the Lyrid meteor shower, takes 415 years to complete a full orbit of the Sun.

We don’t have any photos of this comet because the last time it visited the inner solar system was in 1861 – well before the widespread use of photography. We won’t see comet Thatcher again until the year 2283.

Perseid meteor shower

Active from: 17 July to 24 August 2026
Peak: 13 August

The Perseid meteor shower takes place as Earth passes through the trail left behind by the very large comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.

At its peak, the Perseid shower can feature more than 100 meteors per hour, including bright streaks and fireballs. This makes it one of the best celestial events of the year to watch, particularly in 2026. This year the peak of the Perseids coincides with a new Moon, meaning that if you have clear skies, you should see plenty of meteor activity.

Perseids get their name because they appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus, but they can appear anywhere in the sky.

Throughout the Perseid meteor shower, the Delta Aquariids are also active. Scientists think comet 96P/Machholz may cause this meteor shower. It’s best viewed from the southern hemisphere, but we may get glimpses of it here in the UK.

Comet Swift-Tuttle

Comet Swift-Tuttle, responsible for the Perseid meteor shower, takes 133 years to complete a full orbit of the Sun.

At 26 kilometres wide, it’s the largest solar system object to regularly pass so close to Earth. It’s likely significantly bigger than the asteroid that ended the age of dinosaurs, but don’t worry, calculations have shown that Swift-Tuttle isn’t a threat to the planet.

Swift-Tuttle’s elongated orbit means that debris enters Earth’s atmosphere at great speed.

Orionid meteor shower

Active from: 2 October to 7 November 2026
Peak: 21 October

As Earth passes through the trail of Halley’s Comet, we experience the Orionids meteor shower.

Orionids are some of the fastest and brightest meteors, entering the atmosphere at just under 70 kilometres per second. Stargazers can usually expect to see up to 20 meteors per hour at the shower’s peak. However, conditions for spotting the Orionids won’t be ideal in 2026, as the peak falls just a few days before a full Moon.

Orionids get their name because they seem to radiate from the constellation Orion, but they can appear anywhere in the sky.

The Draconid meteor shower also makes a brief appearance in October. This short shower is caused by the comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, which was discovered by the astronomer Michel Giacobini. In fact, the Draconids are sometimes called the Giacobinids in his honour.

Halley’s Comet

Halley’s Comet – or 1P/Halley – is one the most famous comets of all time.

It’s a short-period comet, meaning it takes less than 200 years to go around the Sun. Its orbital period is 75–76 years and it last passed close to Earth in 1986. It’ll be back again in 2061.

In 1986, space agencies sent the missions Vega, Giotto, Sakigake and Suisei to Halley – known as the ‘Halley Armada’ – so it’s one of the best-studied comets.

Halley’s Comet has been observed for centuries – in 1066 it was considered an omen of doom. It even appears on the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts events leading up to the Norman conquest of England in the eleventh century.

Leonid meteor shower

Active from: 6 to 30 November 2026
Peak: 17 November

The Leonid meteor shower takes place as Earth crosses the trail of comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle.

Entering the atmosphere at 70 kilometres per second, the Leonids are some of the fastest moving and brightest meteors, with up to 15 meteors per hour. This year the peak falls during a first quarter Moon, so the moonlight may affect your ability to see meteors.

Leonids get their name because they seem to radiate from the constellation Leo. Roughly every three decades, we experience a Leonids ‘meteor storm’, when thousands of meteors light up the sky. This last occurred in 2002.

The Northern Taurid meteor shower is active from 20 October to 10 December, overlapping the Orionids, Leonids and Geminids. It’s caused by debris from a near-Earth asteroid that may have broken away from the comet Encke a few thousand years ago. The debris stream is very dispersed, which is why the Northern Taurids are active for so long.

Comet Tempel-Tuttle

Comet Tempel-Tuttle is a short-period comet that takes 33 years to go around the Sun. It was last seen in 1998, with a return expected in 2031. The comet is quite small at only about three kilometres across.

This comet is named after two astronomers, Ernst Tempel and Horace Tuttle. They independently discovered it in 1865 and 1866, respectively. Horace Tuttle also co-discovered Comet Swift-Tuttle, which causes the Perseid meteor shower.

Geminid meteor shower

Active from: 4 to 20 December 2026
Peak: 14 December

The Geminids usually give us one of the most spectacular meteor showers of the year, particularly for viewers in the northern hemisphere. At its peak, stargazers willing to brave the cold could be rewarded with a display of up to 150 multicoloured meteors per hour.

This year, viewing may be interrupted by some moonlight as the Geminids’ peak falls just before a first quarter Moon.

The Geminid meteor shower takes place as Earth passes through the trail of dust left by the ‘rock comet’ 3200 Phaethon. The meteors this results in appear to radiate from the constellation Gemini, giving the Geminids their name.

Towards the end of the Geminids’ active period, the Ursid meteor shower begins, caused by comet 8P/Tuttle. It peaks on 21 December, which also happens to be the winter solstice – the shortest day of the year. Ursids radiate from Ursa Minor. This constellation includes the North Star, which may help you orientate yourself.

3200 Phaethon

Discovered by satellite in 1983, Phaethon has an orbital period of 524 days. According to Ashley, there’s been quite a lot of debate about what Phaethon really is.

“Like other comets, Phaethon has an elliptical orbit but is unusual as it doesn’t go to the outer solar system. It’s been officially classified as a B-type asteroid, but it’s also been suggested that it could be a ‘rock comet’ or a ‘dead comet’.”

Scientists have been studying Phaethon’s infrared emissions to learn more about this mysterious space rock. In 2023, research revealed that Phaethon is likely linked to the CY group of carbonaceous chondrites.

Carbonaceous chondrites are some of the oldest rocks in the solar system. They’re often rich in water, sulphur and organic material, but those in the CY group show signs of drying and decomposition caused by heating.

Phaethon travels even closer to the Sun than Mercury does. Our scientists have helped estimate that, at perihelion – the moment when the asteroid is closest to the Sun – its surface reaches 730 °C and some of its components turn to gas. The pressure this gas creates causes the rock to break down, leaving a comet-like trail of dust behind the asteroid as it travels through space.

Phaethon may once have been similar to the asteroids Ryugu and Bennu. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Hayabusa2 mission returned samples from Ryugu in December 2020, and Bennu was visited by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, which returned to Earth with samples in September 2023. Our scientists have been analysing the Bennu samples, finding that asteroids like this may once have transported the ingredients needed for life to Earth.

Phaethon is considered a potentially hazardous asteroid, meaning it could impact the Earth at some point hundreds of years in the future. For this reason, it’s very well studied. There are plans to send space missions to Phaethon in the future, including DESTINY+, which is scheduled to launch in 2028.

Quadrantid meteor shower

Active from: 28 December 2025 to 12 January 2026
Peak: 4 January

The Quadrantid meteor shower, which is best viewed from the Northern Hemisphere, is thought to occur when Earth passes through the trail left by the asteroid 2003 EH1.

This annual meteor shower has a much shorter peak than others, lasting for just six hours before its intensity rapidly drops off.

In ideal viewing conditions, up to 120 meteors and bright fireballs can be seen per hour, with the particles entering Earth’s atmosphere at around 40 kilometres per second.

The Quadrantids appear to radiate from an area near the Big Dipper between the constellations of Boötes and Draco. This area was previously recognised as a separate constellation, which was named Quadrans Muralis by French astronomer Jerome Lalande in 1795. In 1922, the decision was made to no longer recognise Quadrans Muralis as an official constellation, but the meteor shower still continues to be named after it.

2003 EH1

In March 2003, a small near-Earth asteroid was discovered and named as 2003 EH1. This body completes an orbit of the Sun once every 5.5 years and is thought to be the source of the Quadrantid meteor shower.

Some think that 2003 EH1 might be an extinct comet. This is a comet that has expelled most of its ice and so appears more like an asteroid, as it no longer has enough material to form a tail or coma – the ice and dust envelope that forms around a comet’s solid centre.