MeteorShowerCal

Northern Taurids 2026

The peak falls on Thursday 12 November 2026 at 18:11 UTC, with the Moon 11% lit — a dark sky — the Moon is close to new and takes almost nothing away.

Peak instant
Moon at peak
11% lit, waxing crescent
Active
19 October 2026 – 10 December 2026
Zenithal hourly rate
5
Radiant declination
+22.8°
Rank for Moon in 2026
3 of 12

What 2026 actually offers

Of the twelve showers on this site, 2 peak under a darker Moon in 2026. The darkest peak of the year belongs to the Perseids, with the Moon 0% lit. Moonlight does not remove meteors, it removes the faint ones: with a population index of 2.3, every magnitude of extra sky brightness divides the count you see by 2.3.

The radiant passes overhead at 22.8°N and never rises at all south of 67.2°S. That geometry does not change from year to year, so if this shower does not work from your latitude, no amount of moonless sky will fix it — check the latitude table before making plans around the date.

What is not knowable this far out is cloud. Numerical forecasts are useful inside about three days and steadily less so beyond that, which is why the verdict for a specific night is computed on the night from your own coordinates rather than published in advance.

The Moon across the whole activity window

Moon illumination during the Northern Taurids activity window in 2026 Percentage of the Moon's disc illuminated, sampled twice a day from 19 October 2026 to 10 December 2026. The dashed line marks the shower's peak on 12 November 2026, when the Moon is 11% lit. 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% peak 19 Oct 30 Oct 9 Nov 19 Nov 30 Nov 10 Dec Moon lit (%)
Illuminated fraction of the Moon through the 20 October – 10 December activity window. A dip well away from the peak is a night the shower is still active and the sky is still dark — often a better trade than the peak itself.

The week around the peak

Moon illumination on each date at 00:00 UTC. Rate falls away either side of the peak, so a much darker sky two nights out is only worth taking when the activity window is broad — this one runs 20 October – 10 December.

Date Weekday Moon lit Phase
9 November 2026 Monday 0% new Moon
10 November 2026 Tuesday 1% new Moon
11 November 2026 Wednesday 3% new Moon
12 November 2026 peak Thursday 7% waxing crescent
13 November 2026 Friday 12% waxing crescent
14 November 2026 Saturday 19% waxing crescent
15 November 2026 Sunday 27% waxing crescent

Get reminded before the 2026 peak

One email seven days before a peak so you can keep the night free, and one on the evening itself with the verdict for your location. If your sky is going to be hopeless that night, the second email tells you the next good night instead of pretending otherwise.

You will get a confirmation email first — nothing is sent until you click the link in it. Every email carries a one-click unsubscribe. We store your address, the rounded coordinates and your time zone, and nothing else. See the privacy notice.

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