2026 has some unmissable meteor shower highlights for sky-watchers in the Southern Hemisphere.
Shooting stars favour patient stargazers, and we’ve collected the essential info for West Australian skies to prepare skywatchers and amateur astronomers alike for where to look and what to expect.
The Lyrid meteor shower lasts from April 14 to 30, peaking around 3.30am on 23 April 2026.
What to expect in 2026
This meteor shower is slow to start, with hourly rates increasing sharply close to the peak.
The Lyrids are known for bright meteors producing occasional fireballs. In ideal conditions, under dark skies, you could potentially see up to 18 shooting stars an hour.
About every 60 years, the Lyrid meteor shower turns into more of a storm, with observers reporting hundreds of meteors. Even outside of that, there’s always a rare chance of a larger number of ‘outbursts’
How to see the Lyrid meteor shower
The Moon is in its first quarter phase this year, setting around 8.45pm AWST the night before the shower’s peak.
Around 3.30am on 23 April, look for the Lyrid meteor shower above the north eastern and northern horizon.
For the Boorong clan of north-western Victoria, the constellation of Lyra was the ancestral Malleefowl, Neilloan, who taught people when to look for Malleefowl eggs.
The Lyrid meteor shower coincides with the time the Malleefowl start to build their elaborate nests, with the streaks of the meteor shower itself resembling a bird kicking up sand as she builds a nest.
Read more here.
The Orionid meteor shower lasts from 3 October to 7 November, peaking around 3am on 22 October 2026.
What to expect in 2026
This meteor shower lasts for over a month, slowly building up from a couple of meteors an hour to a peak of around 20 per hour. Rates were as high as double that in the early 2000s, so there’s a possibility they may spike again.
The Orionids are known as being very fast meteors, reaching speeds of around 66 km/s as they enter Earth’s atmosphere. While they’re faint meteors, they can leave lasting glowing trails behind them.
How to see the Orionid meteor shower
The radiant of the Orionids is between the constellations of Orion and Gemini on the north-east horizon.
With the peak of the meteor shower coming around 5am AWST, and Sunrise at 5.30am, your best time to see the Orionids will be in the hours before dawn on 22 October. The Moon is in its first quarter phase this year, setting around 8.45pm AWST the night before the Orionid shower’s peak.
More about the Orionid meteor shower
The Orionid meteor shower is caused by Earth flying through the debris field of dust, ice, and rocks left over from the tail of Halley’s Comet (or Comet 1/P Halley, to use its proper name.) While the shower was discovered by Europeans in 1798, it has been documented by Chinese astronomers for centuries.
The Leonid meteor shower lasts for most of November, with a sharp peak in the hours before dawn around 18 November 2026.
What to expect in 2026
The Leonids are bright and incredibly fast meteors, we’re talking speeds of 72km/s. They’re a fairly low-key shower and at their peak, you could see as many as 15 meteors an hour, but around every 33 years, the Leonids produce bursts of thousands of meteors per minute.
How to see the Leonid meteor shower
In the hours before dawn, look to the north-east horizon. The meteors seem to originate from the constellation of Leo, which will be low on the horizon.
This year, the Moon is in its first quarter and setting around 1am, so it won’t interfere with your meteor hunting.
More abut the Leonid meteor shower
The Leonids are caused by Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, and when the Earth passes through a fresh deposit of debris every 33 years, it can result in a dramatic meteor storm.
In 1833, the Leonids frightened and amazed people across the eastern USA, as they witnessed tens of thousands of meteors per hour. Reports at the time described it as like “the planets and constellations were falling from their places.” The next Leonid storm is predicted for 2034, so put it in your diaries.
The Geminids meteor shower is one of the best meteor showers of 2026, peaking around 11pm on 14 December.
What to expect in 2025
The Geminids are particularly slow meteors, clocking in at around 35 km/s, but they’re famously bold and bright, and can produce colourful fireballs.
How to see the Geminids meteor shower
The radiant of the Geminids is the Gemini constellation, above the eastern horizon. The Moon will be in its first quarter and setting around 11pm, so you might want to wait until later for a potentially better view.
Because of some complicated physics, larger Geminid meteors are slowed down, and so brighter meteors can appear later than the peak. An added bonus of waiting is that later meteors are entering our atmosphere at a greater angle, and will be visible for longer and with longer tails.
At its best, and under ideal conditions, stargazers can hope for as many as 120 meteors per hour from the Geminids.
Grab your star charts, pack your sense of wonder, and head to the dark skies of an Astrotourism Town for a celestial adventure to catch one of the best meteor showers of 2026.
Keen to know what else is up this year? Check out our blog post on your best stargazing in 2026.
Jay Chesters
Jay Chesters is a wordsmith with a little bit of a thing for the stars.
As a cosmic storyteller with a love for astronomy and space that's out of this world, Jay’s always eager to share his knowledge and passions.
See the best meteor showers in astrotourism towns
