A meteor shower that produces fairly good observed rates for people who are able to observe late into the night.
| Main Activity Dates | Nov 14-21 |
| Peak Dates | Obv 18 |
| Peak ZHR | 10-15 |
| Best Observed Around | Night of Novemer 16-17 |
| Visibility | Best after radiant rises around 22:30 UT |
| Affected by Moonlight | Moon near first Quarter |
Shower details – Radiant: 10:08 +21.6° – ZHR: 15 – Velocity: swift – 71km/sec – Parent Object: 55P/Tempel-Tuttle
Although some outliers can be detected by the end of the first week of November, Leonid activity only becomes obvious to visual observers around the start of the third week of the month and activity has dropped back to very low levels a week later.
The Leonids produced meteor storms in 1999, 2001 and 2002 but it is not expected that this will recur until the 2030s. However it should not be assumed that the Leonid rates are stuck at a fixed low level each year. There are often enhancements due to encounters with lesser filaments, most recently in 2008 and 2009.
Peak rates are expected to occur on during the nights of Nov 16-17-18. But in 2023, there’s a predicted second peak on 21st which may add 10-15 brighter than average meteors per hour.
Of all the major meteor showers, it is the Leonids that produce the fastest (71 km/sec) meteors. This can make them tricky targets for video observers. Many of the brighter Leonids leave persistent trains.
Be aware that the Leonid radiant doesn’t rise until after 22:30 UT and so fewer Leonids will be seen during earlier meteor watches. Observed rates will usually increase as the night progresses and the radiant gets higher in the sky.
The chart below shows the position of the Leonid radiant, with the horizon marked as at around 02h local time.
Some late Taurid meteor activity will also be seen during Leonid meteor watches.