Space: the final frontier… As Captain Spock would say. Outside our beloved planet, everything is in constant motion and change. Every now and then, we mere mortals, who can’t just hop on a spaceship and visit the International Space Station, get to witness some of these phenomena from firm ground.
Whether you’re a space enthusiast or simply looking to plan a romantic date or an outdoor adventure, here’s the scoop on the upcoming meteor showers near Los Angeles this 2026, accoarding to the American Meteor Society.
Upcoming Meteor Showers Near Los Angeles
While the dates of significant meteor showers remain relatively consistent annually, their peak, or maximum activity, might vary by a day or two.
Geminids
The Geminid meteor shower is one of the most spectacular of the year. It produces bright and colorful meteors, often with long trails. Unlike most meteor showers, the Geminids originate from an asteroid, 3200 Phaethon, rather than a comet.
📆 When: December 4-December 17, 2025
🌠 Peak: December 14-15, 2025
Ursids
The Ursid meteor shower is a smaller event that peaks around the winter solstice in late December. It produces a modest number of meteors, often seen as faint streaks in the sky.
📆 When: December 17-December 26, 2025
🌠 Peak: December 22-23, 2025
Quadrantids
The Quadrantids are one of the year’s strongest meteor showers, but their peak is very short (just a few hours) and winter weather often gets in the way. Under dark skies, you can usually see around 25 meteors per hour, many of them bright fireballs.
📆 When: December 28-January 12, 2026
🌠 Peak: January 2-3, 2026
Lyrids
The Lyrids are a medium-strength meteor shower that usually puts on a good show for a few nights around its peak. Most meteors don’t leave long trails, but fireballs are possible.
📆 When: April 14-April 30, 2026
🌠 Peak: April 21-22, 2026
eta Aquariids
The Eta Aquariids are a strong meteor shower for viewers in the southern tropics, while farther north they usually produce moderate rates of 10–30 per hour just before dawn. The shower lasts about a week around its peak.
📆 When: April 19-May 28, 2026
🌠 Peak: May 5-6, 2026
Southern delta Aquariids
The Delta Aquariids are a strong meteor shower best seen from the southern tropics, while north of the equator they appear lower in the southern sky and are less active. The shower lasts about a week around its peak.
📆 When: July 12-August 23, 2026
🌠 Peak: July 30-31, 2026
alpha Capricornids
The Alpha Capricornids are a modest meteor shower, rarely producing more than five meteors per hour, but it’s known for bright fireballs. The shower is visible from both hemispheres and lasts about a month around its peak.
📆 When: July 3, August 15, 2026
🌠 Peak: July 30-31, 2026
Perseids
The Perseids are one of the most popular meteor showers, visible on warm summer nights in the northern hemisphere. Active from mid-July to late August, they can produce 30–50 meteors per hour at peak.
📆 When: July 17, August 24, 2026
🌠 Peak: August 12-13, 2026
Orionids
The Orionids are a medium-strength meteor shower that can occasionally become very active. Typically, they produce 10–20 meteors per hour at their peak, though in rare years rates can match the Perseids. Recent years have been average or below.
📆 When: October 2, November 7, 2026
🌠 Peak: October 21-22, 2026
Southern Taurids
The Southern Taurids are a meteor shower with two main components: the regular annual peak and a fireball-rich swarm.
📆 When: September 20, November 20, 2026
🌠 Peak: November 4-5, 2026
Leonids
The Leonids are famous for rare meteor storms, but most years they produce more modest displays. These meteors come from debris left by comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle over past returns. While major storms won’t occur for decades, the shower can still offer impressive rates, sometimes over 100 meteors per hour.
📆 When: November 6, November 30, 2026
🌠 Peak: November 16-17, 2026
What is the best place to see the meteor showers near Los Angeles?
Though you can “technically” see meteor showers everywhere, due to light pollution it’s impossible to have a clear view of it in major cities, like LA. For that reason, the best way to enjoy this phenomenon of shooting stars is to head to nearby places in SoCal, such as:
Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree, renowned for its rock formations and Mojave Desert climate, offers optimal stargazing conditions. Its remote setting ensures minimal light pollution, providing some of the clearest night skies in Southern California. With campgrounds, picnic benches, and ample hiking trails like Quail Springs, Skull Rock, and Tanks Trailhead, it’s an ideal spot to witness meteor showers.
Rancho Palos Verdes Overlook
The Scenic Outlook – Vistapoint in Rancho Palos Verdes, offers a unique scenery. It boasts lower light pollution than coastal LA cities. Arrive just before dawn to witness the mesmerizing spectacle of meteor showers, capturing the sky’s changing scenery as the sun sets and enjoying a stunning meteor shower.
Red Rock Canyon State Park
Just two hours from downtown Los Angeles, Red Rock Canyon State Park in Southern California is the prime spot for meteor shower viewing, boasting a pollution-free sky ideal for stargazing. With 50 rustic campsites at Ricardo Campground, visitors can enjoy an unforgettable overnight experience under the stars.
Ojai Valley
Ojai is a picturesque small town with dark sky legislation, making it the closest to Los Angeles with such policies. This regulation aims to preserve breathtaking night vistas by reducing light pollution, making Ojai an ideal weekend retreat for those who cherish evenings under a sparkling sky.
Top Of The World, Laguna Beach
Laguna Beach isn’t just about stunning homes and surfer beaches—it’s also an ideal spot for meteor showers in SoCal. Situated at the north end of Alta Laguna Blvd, Top of the World provides some of the finest vistas in Orange County. This scenic viewpoint and hiking area offer elevated terrain with minimal light pollution, making it an excellent location to witness a meteor shower.
Death Valley National Park
Death Valley’s remote desert landscape and Gold Tier Dark Sky status make it one of the best places to catch meteor showers. With wide-open horizons, minimal light pollution, and iconic spots like Badwater Basin and Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, it’s perfect for an unforgettable night under the stars.
What is a meteor shower?
A meteor shower is a celestial event where numerous meteors are observed to radiate from a single point in the night sky. These meteors are caused by streams of cosmic debris called meteoroids entering Earth’s atmosphere at extremely high speeds. As they burn up upon entry, they create bright streaks of light known as shooting stars. Meteor showers occur at specific times of the year when Earth passes through the debris trails left by comets or, less frequently, asteroids.
Tips on how to view a meteor shower
One of the most common questions about meteor showers or shooting stars is what equipment do I need… And the truth is, although you can bring your telescope if you have one and know how to use it, under the right conditions, you can see a meteor shower using just your eyes (or glasses if you need them!), always considering:
- Go to an area that has little to know light pollution, away from major cities and urban centers.
- Check weather conditions and lunar phases. Cloudy skies won’t let you see much as it covers the sky, and bright moons (though lovely) may its light can wash out the fainter streaks in the sky, making them harder to see.
- Arrive at your chosen destination during sunset, that way you can have more hours of viewing.
- Search for a spot with an unobstructed and expansive view of the sky, without tall trees or buildings.
- Stay outside for around 20 minutes to let your eyes get used to the dark night sky.
- Bring a blanket, a pillow or anything you need to be comfortable. Stargazing usually takes a few hours and the night can get chilly, even during summer!