Stargazers in Indonesia are preparing for the peak of the annual Leonid meteor shower, which runs
Stargazers in Indonesia are preparing for the peak of the annual Leonid meteor shower, which runs from November 6 through November 30, 2026. According to the International Meteor Organization, the peak activity is set for November 17 at 23:45 UTC.
That timing translates to 06:45 WIB on Wednesday, November 18, when daylight breaks across Indonesia, afu.id reported. Because the peak arrives after sunrise locally, the best viewing window falls during the pre-dawn hours between Tuesday night, November 17, and early Wednesday morning.
The radiant point in the constellation Leo rises around 01:00 local time. Observers will catch the most meteors as that point climbs higher, with the ideal watch time stretching from 02:00 until dawn, according to afu.id.
Moon Phase and Visibility
The moon cooperates with observers this year by sitting at its first quarter phase with roughly half its disk illuminated on November 17, afu.id reported. It sets before midnight, leaving the best viewing hours completely dark.
The International Meteor Organization estimates a zenithal hourly rate of roughly 15 meteors per hour under ideal, pitch-black skies. NASA forecasts that observers under dark skies will actually spot fewer than three meteors per hour, while city lights will dim that count further.
Despite low numbers, the shower is famous for fast streaks and bright fireballs that exceed magnitude -3. Particles slam into the atmosphere at about 71 kilometers per second, leaving persistent light trails.
Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle Creates the Leonid Shower
The shower stems from Earth crossing the dust trail of comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, a 3.6-kilometer-wide body orbiting the sun every 33 years. The comet was discovered independently by Ernst Tempel and Horace Tuttle in 1865 and 1866, and it will not swing close to the sun again until roughly 2031, afu.id noted.
Other astronomical events crowd the November calendar alongside the Leonids. Planetary alignments and a parade involving Mars, Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, and Uranus unfold across the month, while the Southern Taurids produced five to ten meteors per hour earlier in November, according to Batamnews and MalangTIMES.
Planetary Alignments and Southern Taurid Meteor Peaks Occur in November
The November 2026 calendar features several planetary alignments, including a straight-line formation of the Moon, Mars, and Jupiter on November 2–3 near the star Regulus, according to Infogarut and MalangTIMES. Batamnews reported that the Southern Taurids—originating from Asteroid 2004 TG10 and Comet 2P Encke—peaked on November 4–5 with slow-moving, bright fireballs that gained social media attention in Lingga, Riau Islands, where residents shared sightings on Instagram and WhatsApp stories.
Mid-month brings a planetary parade from November 14 to 16, featuring Mars and Jupiter one degree apart in the southern sky, alongside Mercury and Venus appearing above the southeastern horizon before sunrise, and Uranus participating in the arrangement, as detailed by Infogarut and MalangTIMES.
Further planetary highlights include Mercury at its greatest western elongation from the Sun on November 20 north of Venus, and Venus reaching peak brightness on November 29 with a magnitude of -4.9 and a 27 percent illuminated phase, per Infogarut.
Outer planets observable with specialized telescopes include Uranus at opposition on November 25–26 in Taurus between Aldebaran and the Pleiades at a distance of 1.7 billion miles with a magnitude of 5.6; Neptune positioned 7 degrees from Saturn in southern Pisces with a magnitude of 7.7; and Saturn shining at magnitude 0.5 in Cetus, accompanied by its primary moon Titan at closest approach on November 8, 16, and 24, alongside transits by Dione and Tethys.
Finally, a Beaver Moon supermoon will illuminate the sky on November 24 at 21:55 WIB, concluding a month of celestial events that MalangTIMES noted offer diverse viewing experiences.