Leonids and Geminids 2026: shooting stars in November and December from the Canary Islands
The end of the year brings two meteor showers to the Canary Islands sky, and in 2026 the Moon is on your side for both. The Leonids peak on the night of 17 to 18 November, and the Geminids, the strongest shower of the year, on the night of 13 to 14 December, with the following night strong as well.
And tonight, 5 November, the Southern Taurids are at their peak too: only a few meteors, but slow and often bright ones, in a moonless sky.
All times in this article are Canary time. Since 25 October the islands have been back on winter time, which here is the same as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and one hour behind mainland Spain. If a Spanish source gives mainland time and says 0:45, that is 23:45 here.
Which island and which viewpoint to watch from, we have collected in our stargazing guide. Here we cover how and when.
The three showers at a glance
Taurids (southern and northern branches): the southern branch is active from 20 September to 20 November, peaking on 5 November with 5 to 10 meteors per hour (ZHR). The northern branch is active from 20 October to 10 December, peaking on 12 November, ZHR 5. New moon is on 9 November at 07:02.
Leonids: active from 6 to 30 November. The peak is on 17 November at 23:45, with an expected ZHR of around 15. The Moon is then just past first quarter and sets around Teide at 01:10.
Geminids: active from 4 to 20 December. The peak is on 14 December at 14:00, in daylight, ZHR 150. The thin waxing crescent Moon sets at 22:08 on 13 December and at 23:02 on the 14th.
We took the dates from the International Meteor Organization (IMO) 2026 meteor shower calendar, and the exact times and moon phases from the astronomy pages of Spain's National Geographic Institute (IGN). Moonrise and moonset times for the Teide area come from the US Naval Observatory (USNO); on other islands they may differ by a few minutes.
Where shooting stars come from
A shooting star is not a star. A tiny particle, a meteoroid, hits the atmosphere at high speed, vaporises as it collides with air molecules, and its light is visible for a fraction of a second. Most of the meteors you see with the naked eye are caused by pieces a few millimetres or centimetres across, and they burn up at a height of about 100 kilometres.
A meteor shower happens when the Earth passes through a comet's dust trail. Every time the comet comes closest to the Sun, it leaves dust and debris along its orbit, and we cross that trail at the same time every year. So the meteors in a shower all seem to start from one point: this is the radiant, and the shower takes its name from the constellation where that point lies.
The Leonids seem to come from the constellation Leo, and they are fragments of comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. The comet was discovered in 1865, it orbits the Sun every 33.2 years, and roughly every 33 years, around its closest approach to the Sun, the Leonids produce a meteor storm, with thousands of meteors an hour. That happened on the night of 13 November 1833, and the last storm was in 2002. The comet's next closest approach to the Sun is on 20 May 2031. No outburst is expected for 2026: model calculations show the Earth meeting a few dust trails again this year, but they are sparse, with too few particles for a significant outburst.
The Geminids come from the constellation Gemini, and they are one of the exceptions: they are fragments not of a comet but of an asteroid, Phaethon. Their origin was a mystery for centuries, until NASA's IRAS infrared space telescope found the asteroid in 1983. Phaethon is 5 to 6 kilometres across, comes closest to the Sun every 523 days, and astronomers think it may be an extinct comet. Its orbit is known precisely: there is no risk of a collision in the coming centuries.
The Taurids' two branches are linked to comet 2P/Encke.
What the hourly figure means, and how many you will actually see
News about meteor showers almost always quotes a number: 15 an hour, 150 an hour. This is the ZHR, the zenithal hourly rate, and it does not mean what you might first think. As the IMO defines it, it is a calculated maximum: the number of meteors an ideal observer would see under a perfectly clear, very dark sky, with the radiant directly overhead.
Because it is a maximum calculated for ideal conditions, in reality you will see fewer. According to NASA, the Leonids' rate is often only around 3 an hour, even though they count as one of the major showers. The Geminids are more generous: NASA reckons on 120 meteors an hour in perfect conditions, and the IGN describes activity of over 120 an hour across several days.
So the figure shows how strong the showers are compared with each other, not what your night will be like. If the Geminids get 150 and the Leonids 15, the December night promises a lot more.
Leonids: the night of 17 to 18 November
The peak is on 17 November at 23:45, with an expected ZHR of around 15; according to the IGN, the shower's usual activity is 10 to 20 meteors an hour. For the latitude of mainland Spain (40 degrees), the IGN says the radiant is above the horizon from midnight until dawn, and NASA also recommends watching from midnight local time.
The Moon reaches first quarter on the morning of 17 November and is still up that evening. Around Teide it sets at 01:10 on 18 November. From then until morning twilight, which begins around 07:06, the sky is dark, and this is the best stretch of the night: the radiant is already above the horizon, and the Moon is no longer lighting up the sky.
The Leonids are among the fastest meteors: they hit the atmosphere at 71 kilometres per second. They are bright, can be colourful, and according to NASA they are known for their fireballs and for earthgrazers, meteors with long, colourful tails that streak close to the horizon. According to the IGN, the Leonids are more unpredictable, but they can be as spectacular as the Perseids in August.
Geminids: the night of 13 to 14 December, and the night after
According to the IMO, the Geminids are the finest and most reliable of the major annual showers currently visible, with a peak ZHR of 150. This year they peak on 14 December at 14:00, in broad daylight in Canary time. That does not matter, because the peak is broad: according to the IMO, the rate stays above 100 for roughly 10 to 12 hours, and the reliable peaks of the last two decades, converted to 2026, fall between 21:00 on 13 December and 18:00 on 14 December. According to the IGN, the night before and the night after will be strong too.
So the best night is 13 to 14 December, with the night of 14 to 15 December as a backup.
The Moon helps this year. New moon is on 9 December; at the peak a thin waxing crescent, roughly 20 per cent lit, is visible, and it sets early: around Teide at 22:08 on 13 December and at 23:02 on the 14th. After that the sky is moonless until morning.
Well north of the equator, which includes us, the Geminid radiant rises around sunset and is already quite high in the evening. NASA says this shower is one of the best chances for children, because it gets going as early as around 9 or 10pm. The radiant reaches its highest point at around 2 o'clock local time.
The Geminids arrive at 35 kilometres per second, and according to the IAC they are brighter, more numerous and slower than the Perseids in August, so you can follow them with your eyes for longer. They are often yellowish or greenish. According to the IMO, there are more bright meteors towards the end of the peak, and the shower is known for its fireballs.
Tonight, the Taurids: few, but slow and bright
The Taurids are not famous for their numbers. Each branch produces only a few meteors an hour, but according to the IMO many of them are bright and relatively slow: good practice for beginners, and good to photograph.
The southern branch peaks today, 5 November, and the northern branch on 12 November. At both peaks the Moon is far from full: tonight the waning crescent, 14 per cent lit, only rises at 03:43, and on 12 November the thin waxing crescent has already set by 20:33. Because of the new moon on 9 November, the IMO says the days between the two peaks are the least disturbed.
How to watch: naked eye, lying down, with patience
You do not need a telescope. The IAC and the IGN both say it plainly: a telescope or binoculars are not needed and not recommended either, because they narrow your field of view. You watch a meteor shower with the naked eye.
A dark spot with a clear view. Go somewhere as far as possible from light pollution, into the countryside or up to the summits, where buildings, trees or mountains do not block the sky.
Do not look at the radiant. Meteors can appear anywhere in the sky. According to NASA, they look longer and more spectacular away from the radiant, and short if you look towards it. Look at the darkest part of the sky, and if the Moon is up, turn your back on it.
Lie down. According to the IGN, the most comfortable way is to lie down and wait for your eyes to get used to the dark. NASA suggests a sleeping bag, a blanket or a camping chair, and seeing as much of the sky as you can.
Give your eyes time. According to NASA, after about 30 minutes in the dark your eyes adapt. Why you should not look at your phone in the meantime, we explained in our article on the autumn sky.
Dress for winter. NASA advises preparing for winter temperatures for both showers, and the IAC recommends a coat.
Be patient. According to NASA, the show lasts until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch one.
The Canary Islands sky is also protected by law: a law from 1988 (Ley 31/1988) requires outdoor lighting not to shine above the horizon and to disturb astronomical observation as little as possible.
If you are heading up Teide or to Roque de los Muchachos
For the darkest sky, many people head for the summits: on Tenerife to Teide National Park, on La Palma to the Roque de los Muchachos viewpoint in Garafía. These roads are sometimes closed because of snow and ice, on La Palma, for example, during a late December snowfall.
Tenerife: in March 2026 the Cabildo (the island government) closed the TF-24 and the TF-21 overnight because of ice and snow, and reopened them after clearing. At such times, expect icy patches especially in the early morning. The Cabildo asks you to check the road conditions and the weather forecast before you set off: you can see real-time traffic conditions on the Centro de Información de Carreteras website. If Teide is your plan, read our article on the permit and the cable car too.
La Palma: on 23 December 2024 the Cabildo de La Palma, on the advice of the Guardia Civil, closed the LP-4 road to Roque de los Muchachos because of snow, and the visitor centre too. Check current closures in the Cabildo de La Palma announcements. The island also has signposted astronomical viewpoints, for example Llano del Jable in El Paso or the San Antonio volcano viewpoint in Fuencaliente. For the rest of La Palma, our island guide will help.
Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura: the Pico de las Nieves viewpoint in Tejeda, and the Sicasumbre astronomical viewpoint in Pájara. You will also find all the islands' observatories in one place.
In short
Taurids: today, 5 November, and 12 November; few meteors, but slow and bright, on a moonless evening.
Leonids: the night of 17 to 18 November; best from moonset at 01:10 until dawn; ZHR around 15.
Geminids: the night of 13 to 14 December, with 14 to 15 as a backup; the Moon sets at 22:08 and 23:02 respectively; ZHR 150.
All times are Canary time: take one hour off the mainland time in Spanish sources.
Naked eye, somewhere to lie down, warm clothes, 30 minutes for your eyes, and do not look at the radiant.
If you are going up to the summits: check the roads first, as in winter they can be closed because of snow and ice.
Sources: International Meteor Organization (IMO), 2026 Meteor Shower Calendar (ed. Jürgen Rendtel); Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN), Leónidas, Gemínidas, Lluvias de meteoros, Agenda Astronómica 2026 and La hora oficial en España; Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), Las Gemínidas (2025); NASA Science, Leonids and Geminids; U.S. Naval Observatory, Astronomical Applications (moon and sun data); Ley 31/1988 sobre Protección de la Calidad Astronómica de los Observatorios del IAC (BOE); Cabildo de Tenerife (2026-03-02, Carreteras); Cabildo de La Palma (2024-12-23).
Cover photo (cropped): the Milky Way above the Teide Observatory, Tenerife. Curd-Christian Tengeler/IAU OAE, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.