November 17, 2025
2 minute read
Leonid meteor shower peaks: How to watch this fireball-filled event
The thin crescent moon and dark sky can give observers a clear view of this astronomical event.
The Leonids meteor shower over Wrightwood, California in 1966.
The Leonids meteor shower will peak this week and could potentially bring with it hundreds of long-tailed meteors. This annual fall show is a great opportunity to see fireballs in the night sky.
Meteor showers are a wonderful result of the Earth's movement along the trail of debris from comets and asteroids orbiting the Sun. When these pieces of space rock enter our atmosphere, they burn up like shooting stars. And if they land they become meteorites.
The Leonids are an annual shower that occurs in early November and lasts until early December when the Earth passes through the debris flow of comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle.
About supporting science journalism
If you enjoyed this article, please consider supporting our award-winning journalism. subscription. By purchasing a subscription, you help ensure a future of influential stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
Perhaps the most famous Leonid event in modern memory occurred on November 17, 1966, when meteors fell like rain and some witnesses said it appeared as if the Earth was diving into space.
These storms tend to follow a 33-34 year rhythm, locked to the comet's orbit. However, most years are quieter and that is the most likely outcome this week. The last major event occurred in 2002.
How to watch the Leonids
The Leonids will peak at 1:00 pm EST on November 17th. Hundreds of long-tailed meteors will streak across the sky at 44 miles per second, giving skywatchers a good chance to catch the spectacle near dawn on November 18th.
When many meteors appear to be coming from the same point in the night sky, that point is called the radiant. This year, the rain's radiation rises around midnight and peaks just before dawn, making the pre-dawn hours the best viewing time.
Luckily for skywatchers, the next new moon will occur on November 20, meaning there will only be a thin waning crescent in the sky during the peak of the Leonids this week. In dark sky conditions, observers can see 10 to 15 Leonids per hour. Experts recommend using binoculars or telescopes and lying on your back with your feet facing east. After about 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adjust and you will begin to see meteors.
It's time to stand up for science
If you liked this article, I would like to ask for your support. Scientific American has been a champion of science and industry for 180 years, and now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.
I was Scientific American I have been a subscriber since I was 12, and it has helped shape my view of the world. science always educates and delights me, instills a sense of awe in front of our vast and beautiful universe. I hope it does the same for you.
If you subscribe to Scientific Americanyou help ensure our coverage focuses on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on decisions that threaten laboratories across the US; and that we support both aspiring and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.
In return you receive important news, fascinating podcastsbrilliant infographics, newsletters you can't missvideos worth watching challenging gamesand the world's best scientific articles and reporting. You can even give someone a subscription.
There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you will support us in this mission.
