6 more meteor showers to light up the sky before 2027
The final months of 2026 will bring six major meteor showers, including the Geminids in December, one of the best opportunities of the year to see shooting stars.
The northern lights have appeared farther south more frequently in recent years. Anna Azallion says the increased activity is tied to solar maximum, the most active phase of the sun’s 11-year cycle.
As autumn nights grow longer, there will be more opportunities to look up and catch a shooting star. Six major meteor showers are still ahead in 2026, including one of the best of the entire year.
From October's Orionids to the prolific Geminids in December, here are the major meteor showers still to come this year.
Orionids: Oct. 21-22
One of the best meteor showers of autumn will peak on the night of Oct. 21 into the early morning of Oct. 22, with around 20 meteors per hour possible.
Halley's Comet is responsible for the Orionids. Each year, Earth passes through debris left behind by the famous comet during previous trips around the sun, causing tiny particles to burn brightly as they enter the atmosphere.
Shooting stars raining down on Earth during a meteor shower. (Getty Images/m-gucci)
The shower is named after the constellation Orion, which appears near the point in the sky where the shooting stars seem to originate. The best viewing typically comes during the second half of the night, when Orion is higher in the sky.
The timing of the Orionids gives the shower an advantage over meteor showers later in the year, as October nights are typically not as cold as those in November and December.
Southern and Northern Taurids: Nov. 4-5 and Nov. 11-12
The Southern Taurids will peak on the night of Nov. 4-5, followed one week later by the Northern Taurids on Nov. 11-12. Both showers typically produce around five meteors per hour.
Those rates may sound underwhelming compared with other major showers, but the Taurids are known for occasionally producing fireballs, exceptionally bright meteors that can briefly illuminate the night sky.
The night sky over Tauranga, New Zealand, lit up on Aug. 30 as a fireball raced overhead.
Another advantage is that both showers have broad peaks lasting several nights. That gives onlookers more flexibility to check the AccuWeather forecast and choose a night with fewer clouds, rather than relying on a single date.
The two showers also overlap, providing multiple opportunities to catch a bright meteor during the first half of November.
Leonids: Nov. 16-17
A typical showing of the Leonids is expected when the shower peaks on the night of Nov. 16 into the morning of Nov. 17, with rates around 15 meteors per hour. That is a far cry from some of the extraordinary displays the Leonids have produced in the past.
"The Leonids are best known for producing meteor storms in the years of 1833, 1866, 1966, 1999, 2001 and 2002," the American Meteor Society said.
During these rare meteor storms, rates exceeded 1,000 meteors per hour. EarthSky reports that during the 1966 storm, some observers in the southwestern United States saw as many as 50 meteors per second.
An illustration depicting the 1833 Leonid meteor storm. (Edmund Weiß)
Nothing close to that is expected in 2026, but the history behind the Leonids makes it one of the more intriguing showers to watch each November.
Geminids: Dec. 13-14
The Geminids will be the marquee meteor shower during the final months of 2026, with up to 120 meteors per hour possible away from city lights when the shower peaks on the night of Dec. 13 into Dec. 14.
Viewing conditions will be nearly ideal this year as the peak arrives only a few nights after a new moon, meaning bright moonlight should not wash out many of the fainter meteors.
In this Dec. 14, 2023 photo provided by NOIRLab, meteors from the Geminid meteor shower streak across the sky above the Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a program of the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab, located about 56 miles (90 kilometers) southwest of Tucson in the Tohono O'odham Nation. (NSF/NOIRLab via AP, File)
The Geminids are also one of the better meteor showers for families and younger children because activity can be seen during the evening, not just after midnight. However, the highest rates are still expected during the middle and latter parts of the night.
The biggest obstacle may be the December weather. By this point in the year, many parts of North America frequently experience cold nights, so anyone planning to spend extended time outdoors may need to prepare for winterlike conditions.
Ursids: Dec. 21-22
The final major meteor shower of 2026 will arrive on the first night of astronomical winter as the Ursids peak on the night of Dec. 21 into the early hours of Dec. 22.
"The Ursids are often neglected due to the fact it peaks just before Christmas and the rates are much less than the Geminds, which peaks just a week before the Ursids," the American Meteor Society said.
Around 10 meteors per hour are expected, with the best viewing late at night and during the hours leading up to daybreak.
For many, the Ursids will be the last major opportunity to spot shooting stars before the calendar turns to 2027.
Meteor shower viewing tips
•Get away from bright city lights when possible, especially for showers with higher rates such as the Geminids.
•Allow time for eyes to adjust to the darkness before expecting to see many meteors.
•Dress for the season. Nights become progressively colder from October through December across much of North America.
•Check the AccuWeather cloud forecast before heading outside
•A telescope is not needed. Meteor showers are best viewed by looking across a wide area of the sky
Editor's Note: The dates for each meteor shower above align with those published by the American Meteor Society.
Report a Typo
