Meteor showers return in October and fill the celestial calendar through the end of the year, giving skywatchers multiple chances to see shooting stars this fall.
The run starts with a meteor shower known for surprises and related to a comet still hanging out relatively close to Earth, includes a two-stream shower that could produce "Halloween fireballs," and ends with a sleepy shower that sometimes wakes up for the celestial equivalent of "Auld Lang Syne."
The year also ends with a pair of supermoons, and 2027 begins with two more.
Serious meteor chasers should plan for late nights or very early mornings, as most meteor showers are most active in the predawn hours on peak dates. Find a dark sky away from city lights, give your eyes half an hour or so to adjust, plan to stay a while, and settle back and enjoy the show.
Be sure to check the forecast to make sure sky conditions are favorable. And dress for the weather. Below are the dates to mark on the calendar, moon conditions and other things to know.
The 2026 Draconid meteor shower is predicted to peak on the evening of Oct. 8 and early morning hours of Oct. 9. This short-lived meteor shower, which runs Oct. 6-10, is different from most because it's best viewed about an hour or two after sunset.
Viewing conditions should be excellent, with only a thin crescent moon visible before the Oct. 10 new moon.
The Draconids aren't as prolific as some meteor showers, producing about 10 slow-moving meteors an hour. The shower is unpredictable, though, and Draco the Dragon occasionally "breathes fire," with outbursts of more than 100 meteors an hour.
In 2018, when the comet came closer to Earth than it had in 72 years, the Draconids were especially spectacular, spitting out 150 to 160 shooting stars an hour.
The Draconid meteor shower comes from debris of comet 21 P/Giacobini-Zinner, which belongs to a group known as Jupiter-family comets whose orbits are influenced by Jupiter's gravity.
The small comet has an orbital period of about 6.6 years, and its last perihelion passage — its closest approach to the sun — was on March 29, 2025. That put it relatively close to Earth, and experts predicted a meteor storm during last year's peak. Visual observations were hindered by a nearly full supermoon.
The comet is still relatively close to Earth, raising questions about whether there will be a Draconid outburst in 2026.
"Probably not," EarthSky said, "but you never know."
Still, it's worth checking out these slow-moving meteors, which can last for several seconds as they traverse the night sky. Look north, where the radiant point in the constellation Draco stands highest in the sky at dusk.
Regarded as one of the most beautiful shooting star shows of the year, the Orionids produce about 23 meteors an hour and peak overnight Oct. 21-22. The meteor shower runs from Oct. 2 to Nov. 7.
This shower is best viewed in the predawn hours. A 77 percent full moon will cause some light interference early in the night but sets a few hours before dawn.
The Orionids are both bright and fast, entering Earth's atmosphere at about 148,000 miles per hour. Meteors that fast can leave glowing trains — incandescent bits of debris that can linger for several seconds or even minutes — and also produce fireballs.
"Halloween fireballs" are always a possibility during the Taurid meteor showers' annual run across the night sky. The Taurids produce a modest number of meteors but have an outsized reputation for bright fireballs.
The Southern Taurids began Sept. 20 and continue through Nov. 20, with a Nov. 4-5 peak. The Northern Taurids run from Oct. 20 through Dec. 10 and peak Nov. 11-12, according to the American Meteor Society. Each typically produces only about five meteors an hour, but the Taurids are known for unusually bright, slow-moving fireballs.
The showers occur as Earth passes through debris associated with Comet 2P/Encke, which circles the sun about once every 3.3 years. Scientists also are studying whether some objects in the broader Taurid complex came from the breakup of a much larger body thousands of years ago.
That possibility has drawn interest from planetary-defense researchers. One hypothesis holds that Jupiter's gravity may have concentrated some debris into a so-called resonant swarm containing larger objects. Scientists have not confirmed that such a swarm exists, much less that it poses a threat to Earth. Researchers calculate that the hypothetical swarm could make particularly close approaches in 2032 and 2036, Scientific American reported.
The broader Taurid stream may also harbor "Taurid swarms" — dense clusters of pebble-sized material alongside larger, hidden debris — that occur roughly every seven years. Notable swarm encounters were reported in 2005 and again in 2015, and future peaks are predicted around 2032 because of gravitational resonances with Jupiter, according to NASA.
For skywatchers, 2026 should offer relatively favorable conditions. The Southern Taurids' Nov. 4-5 peak comes with limited moonlight, while the Northern Taurids' Nov. 11-12 peak occurs under an even thinner crescent moon.
The Leonid meteor shower also returns in November, bringing some of the fastest meteors of the year and a history of spectacular meteor storms.
Astronomers do not expect a Leonid meteor storm in 2026, although models suggest several encounters with low-density debris trails could modestly boost activity, according to the American Meteor Society.
The shower is expected to peak around Nov. 17-18, when observers under dark skies could see about 10 to 20 meteors an hour. The Leonids are especially swift, entering Earth's atmosphere at about 44 miles per second.
The meteors are bits of debris left behind by Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. About every 33 years, when Earth crosses particularly dense trails of that debris, the Leonids can produce meteor storms. Past displays in 1833 and 1966 produced extraordinary rates.
This year, a first-quarter moon could wash out some of the fainter meteors early in the night. The best viewing will be after midnight through dawn, when the constellation Leo, the shower's radiant, is higher in the sky.
Meteor experts routinely rank the Geminids among the best meteor showers of the year, and with good reason: At the peak, as many as 120 meteors an hour can streak across a dark sky under ideal conditions, according to NASA.
The agency calls the Geminids "one of the best and most reliable annual meteor showers."
The Geminids peak each December as Earth passes through a trail of debris left by 3200 Phaethon, an unusual asteroid sometimes described as a "rock comet." Unlike most major meteor showers, which originate from comets, the Geminids come from an asteroid-like body.
The shower also stands out for its bright, often yellow meteors and its reliability. NASA says the Geminids have grown significantly stronger since they were first observed in the 1800s, when they produced only about 10 to 20 meteors an hour.
For 2026, the Geminids are active Dec. 4-17 and are expected to peak overnight Dec. 13-14. The shower begins producing visible meteors relatively early in the evening, around 9 or 10 p.m., though darker skies away from city lights will offer the best view.
The Ursid meteor shower starts in late fall, peaks around the winter solstice and ends just after Christmas. It is a modest show that can occasionally surprise skywatchers.
The Ursids are active Dec. 17-26 and are expected to peak overnight Dec. 21-22, according to the American Meteor Society. Under good conditions, observers typically see about five to 10 meteors an hour, although past outbursts have pushed rates above 25 an hour.
The meteors come from debris shed by Comet 8P/Tuttle, which circles the sun about once every 13.6 years. The Ursids are primarily a Northern Hemisphere shower because their radiant, near the Little Dipper, stays very low or below the horizon for much of the Southern Hemisphere.
Viewing conditions will be poor in 2026. A bright waxing gibbous moon will be about 94 percent illuminated on peak night and nearly full two days later, washing out many of the fainter meteors. The best chance to see Ursids will be during the short window between moonset and dawn, according to the American Meteor Society.
October's is the last "regular" full moon before four supermoons end 2026 and begin 2027. Here's the calendar:
Jupiter and Saturn will both appear high near December's cold supermoon, creating a triple celestial treat to close out the year.
The term "supermoon" didn't come from astronomy. Astrologer Richard Nolle coined it in 1979 for a new or full moon occurring near its closest approach to Earth, making it appear slightly larger and brighter.
The term drew little notice until March 19, 2011, when a full moon came exceptionally close to Earth, Space.com's Joe Rao wrote. Astronomers had long called such events "perigean full moons," but "supermoon" quickly became the popular term.
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