Manchester, United Kingdom
Leonids 2026 from Manchester
The Leonids peak on the night of Monday, November 16. From Manchester the best time to watch is the last dark hour, before about 6:15 AM, when the radiant is partway up in the south. Under a dark sky that means up to about 13 meteors an hour. From inside the city you will see far fewer.
The night at a glance
- Gets dark
- 5:32 PM
- Radiant rises
- 10:22 PM
- Best time
- The last hour before 6:15 AM
- Light again
- 6:15 AM
- Moon
- 45% lit, sets around 10:22 PM
Times are local to Manchester, worked out for the city centre. Dark means the sun is 12 degrees below the horizon.
Where to look
Meteors can appear anywhere in the sky. They streak away from the radiant, which sits partway up in the south at its best. Face that way but keep your gaze wide. Give your eyes twenty minutes to adjust and keep your phone in your pocket. The darker your spot, the more you will see.
About the Leonids
The Leonids are active from most of November. The meteors are debris from comet Tempel-Tuttle (55P) and hit the atmosphere at about 71 km per second. At the peak, a perfectly dark sky with the radiant overhead would show about 15 an hour. Real counts are lower.