Mexico · 33° N

The next meteor shower over Tijuana is the Draconids.

Peak night is October 7, 2026.

Don't miss the next peak over Tijuana.

Free — one push the evening a shower peaks, and only when the sky is clear.

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Peak in Tijuana time
09:13
Radiant altitude
54.5°
Moon
4%
Visibility
Fair

The peak night in Tijuana

Draconids, night of October 7 – 8. Every number below is computed for Tijuana’s exact coordinates and clock — not copied from a generic almanac.

Computed 2026-08-21 · times shown for America/Tijuana

Peak
09:13October 7 – 8
Dark window
19:45–05:26fully dark sky
Best window
20:00–05:30
Radiant
northwest · 54.5°
Moon
4%waning crescent
Peak rate (ZHR)
10/hr
Speed
20km/s
Radiant constellation
Draco

Sources: International Meteor Organization · IAU Meteor Data Center · astronomy-engine v2.1.19

How many meteors you’ll actually count

ZHR 10 is the laboratory number. From Tijuana, with the radiant topping out at 54.5° and the moon at 4%, here is the honest hourly range by where you stand:

City sky
1–2/hr
Suburbs
2–4/hr
Dark site
4–9/hr

The radiant over Tijuana, hour by hour

How high the Draconids radiant climbs through the peak night. The higher it gets, the more of the shower clears the horizon — plan your session around the gold marker.

The radiant over Tijuana, hour by hour30°60°max 55° · 19:4519:4500:3505:26

Tonight over Tijuana

A live check for the coming night: what’s falling, when it’s worth being outside, and whether the weather will let you see any of it.

Computing tonight’s sky…

This year's meteor showers from Tijuana

Ranked by how good each one will actually look from Tijuana this year — radiant altitude, moon, and rate all factored in.

Why the view from Tijuana is different

Tijuana sits at 33°N. Showers with a far-northern radiant climb high overhead here, while some southern-sky showers barely clear the horizon or don't rise at all.

Meteor showers in Tijuana, month by month

The whole year from Tijuana’s latitude at a glance — each month’s headline shower, its peak night, and how the moon treats it. Quiet months are shown honestly: part of the sky’s calendar is simply empty, and knowing that saves you cold nights.

MonthHeadline showerPeak nightMoon at peakFrom Tijuana
JanuaryQuadrantidsJanuary 3, 202714%Excellent
FebruaryQuiet — sporadic meteors only
MarchQuiet — sporadic meteors only
AprilLyridsApril 22, 202796%Poor
MayEta AquariidsMay 5, 20270%Poor
JuneQuiet — sporadic meteors only
JulySouthern Delta AquariidsJuly 30, 202713%Fair
AugustPerseidsAugust 12, 202784%Fair
SeptemberQuiet — sporadic meteors only
OctoberOrionidsOctober 21, 202675%Poor
NovemberLeonidsNovember 17, 202651%Poor
DecemberGeminidsDecember 13, 202622%Excellent

Two patterns in the table are worth a second look. First, the moon column reshuffles the year every year: a shower that fought a full moon last season may get a black sky this one. That is why the ratings above are computed fresh for Tijuana and this year’s geometry — not copied from a fixed almanac that ages badly.

Second, latitude is destiny. From 33°N, some radiants simply ride higher than others ever can, and a modest shower with a well-placed radiant will quietly outperform a famous one that never clears Tijuana’s rooftops. When the table disagrees with a headline, trust the table — it knows where you live.

Where to watch near Tijuana

For the Draconids, the radiant climbs the northwest sky over Tijuana and tops out at 54.5°, so pick a spot where that direction is open to the horizon. Then look slightly away from it — trails appear longest 40–60° to either side of the radiant. Give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, keep the phone dim, and dress a season warmer than the forecast suggests: meteor watching is sitting still outdoors at night.

More on this in the guide

Photographing meteors over Tijuana

Point the camera 40–60° away from the radiant — northwest of Tijuana on the peak night — so the trails cross your frame at their longest. Keep some foreground in shot: a treeline or a skyline anchors the picture. Moonlight is the main spoiler; with the moon at 4% on the Draconids peak, the sky is yours — expose freely.

More on this in the guide

Where to go from Tijuana

From Tijuana the sky keeps improving for about 28 km — that is where the glow around you falls to a twentieth of what it is over the city centre. Thirty kilometres out already puts you at roughly 4% of the city-centre glow, so an evening drive genuinely changes what you can see.

Direction matters as much as distance. At the same range the sky southwest of the city sits at about <1% of the centre, while north is still 9% — the same drive, several times the difference.

Where people actually go

Places near here that people genuinely use for meteor watching — dark-sky parks, observatories with public evenings, campgrounds where staying out all night is allowed. Each one was checked against what its manager publishes, because a park being dark and a park being open at 2 a.m. are two different facts.

  • Laguna Hanson
    116 km east-southeast · sky glow <1% of the city centre

    The heart of Parque Nacional Constitución de 1857 in the Sierra de Juárez, with park-run campsites and simple cabins bookable by phone and nights of near-total darkness; the last 20-25 km is dirt road, so take a high-clearance vehicle and download offline maps.

    Source

Measured from: VIIRS VNL 2025 (Earth Observation Group)

Reading the numbersMore on this in the guide

Common questions about Tijuana

When is the next meteor shower in Tijuana?+

The Draconids, peaking on the night of October 7, 2026 local time.

What's the best meteor shower to watch from Tijuana this year?+

The Geminids — its radiant climbs highest above Tijuana's horizon this year with the least moonlight in the way, so it's the best bet for peak rates.

How many meteors will I actually see from Tijuana?+

During the Draconids peak, expect roughly 2–4 meteors an hour from Tijuana’s suburbs, 1–2 from the bright city core, and 4–9 under a properly dark sky within driving distance. The gap is light pollution, not the shower.

Where in the sky should I look from Tijuana?+

Face roughly northwest. The Draconids radiant stands highest over Tijuana around 19:45, reaching 54.5° — but don’t stare straight at it: the longest trails appear 40–60° to either side.

Will the moon spoil the Draconids from Tijuana?+

On the peak night the moon is 4% lit (waning crescent). Dark enough that moonlight won’t be the limiting factor — sky quality and clouds will decide your night.

Is anything visible from Tijuana tonight, before the peak?+

Usually yes. Showers run for days to weeks around their maximum, and the sporadic background adds a few meteors an hour on any dark night. The “Tonight” panel above computes the coming night for Tijuana specifically — what’s falling, the best window, and whether the clouds will allow any of it.

How many meteor showers can you see from Tijuana?+

Of the eleven major annual showers, 11 are visible from Tijuana's latitude this year, though cloud cover and moonlight decide how many meteors you'll actually count on any given night.

Do I need to leave Tijuana to see a meteor shower?+

You don't need to, but it helps a lot. City light pollution washes out all but the brightest meteors — driving even 30–45 minutes to a darker sky can turn a handful of sightings into dozens.

Meteor showers in nearby cities

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