Meteor showers
CSENMeteor showers 2026
When to catch shooting stars: every major meteor shower of the year with its peak, rates and how much the Moon will interfere.
Next up
Perseids
peak Thursday 13 August · radiant Perseus
100
meteors/h under ideal skies
Moon at peak: dark skies · 0 %
All showers of 2026
| Shower | Peak | Activity | ZHR | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quadrantids | Sunday 4 January | 28. 12. – 12. 1. | 110 | washed out |
| Lyrids | Thursday 23 April | 14. 4. – 30. 4. | 18 | some interference |
| Eta Aquariids | Thursday 7 May | 19. 4. – 28. 5. | 50 | washed out |
| Perseids | Thursday 13 August | 17. 7. – 24. 8. | 100 | dark skies |
| Draconids | Friday 9 October | 6. 10. – 10. 10. | 10 | dark skies |
| Orionids | Thursday 22 October | 2. 10. – 7. 11. | 25 | washed out |
| Leonids | Tuesday 17 November | 6. 11. – 30. 11. | 15 | some interference |
| Geminids | Monday 14 December | 4. 12. – 20. 12. | 150 | some interference |
| Ursids | Tuesday 22 December | 17. 12. – 26. 12. | 10 | washed out |
ZHR (zenithal hourly rate) assumes perfectly dark skies with the radiant overhead — expect a third to half of it in practice.
Perseids – how to watch this year
Best after midnight, when the radiant in Perseus climbs high. Get out of town, give your eyes 20 minutes to adapt and scan wide — meteors streak across the whole sky. In 2026 the peak falls on the night of 12–13 August with a new moon: ideally dark skies. A partial solar eclipse happens the same evening.