United States · 34° N
The next meteor shower over Los Angeles is the Draconids.
Peak night is October 7, 2026.
Don't miss the next peak over Los Angeles.
Free — one push the evening a shower peaks, and only when the sky is clear.
The peak night in Los Angeles
Draconids, night of October 7 – 8. Every number below is computed for Los Angeles’s exact coordinates and clock — not copied from a generic almanac.
Computed 2026-08-21 · times shown for America/Los_Angeles
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 Los Angeles, with the radiant topping out at 55.6° and the moon at 4%, here is the honest hourly range by where you stand:
The radiant over Los Angeles, 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.
Tonight over Los Angeles
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 Los Angeles
Ranked by how good each one will actually look from Los Angeles this year — radiant altitude, moon, and rate all factored in.
- DraconidsAn evening shower with rare stormsOctober 8, 2026PeakFairVisibility
- OrionidsBright autumn meteors from HalleyOctober 21, 2026PeakPoorVisibility
- TauridsThe Halloween fireballsNovember 5, 2026PeakFairVisibility
- LeonidsThe fastest meteors of allNovember 17, 2026PeakPoorVisibility
- GeminidsThe best shower of the yearDecember 13, 2026PeakExcellentVisibility
- UrsidsA quiet solstice showerDecember 22, 2026PeakPoorVisibility
- QuadrantidsA brief, sharp new-year peakJanuary 3, 2027PeakExcellentVisibility
- LyridsThe oldest recorded showerApril 22, 2027PeakPoorVisibility
- Eta AquariidsFast dawn meteors from Halley's CometMay 5, 2027PeakPoorVisibility
- Southern Delta AquariidsA steady stream through late JulyJuly 30, 2027PeakPoorVisibility
- PerseidsThe Northern Hemisphere's favouriteAugust 12, 2027PeakFairVisibility
Why the view from Los Angeles is different
Los Angeles sits at 34°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 Los Angeles, month by month
The whole year from Los Angeles’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.
| Month | Headline shower | Peak night | Moon at peak | From Los Angeles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Quadrantids | January 3, 2027 | 14% | Excellent |
| February | Quiet — sporadic meteors only | |||
| March | Quiet — sporadic meteors only | |||
| April | Lyrids | April 22, 2027 | 96% | Poor |
| May | Eta Aquariids | May 5, 2027 | 0% | Poor |
| June | Quiet — sporadic meteors only | |||
| July | Southern Delta Aquariids | July 30, 2027 | 13% | Poor |
| August | Perseids | August 12, 2027 | 84% | Fair |
| September | Quiet — sporadic meteors only | |||
| October | Orionids | October 21, 2026 | 75% | Poor |
| November | Leonids | November 17, 2026 | 51% | Poor |
| December | Geminids | December 13, 2026 | 22% | 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 Los Angeles and this year’s geometry — not copied from a fixed almanac that ages badly.
Second, latitude is destiny. From 34°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 Los Angeles’s rooftops. When the table disagrees with a headline, trust the table — it knows where you live.
Where to watch near Los Angeles
For the Draconids, the radiant climbs the northwest sky over Los Angeles and tops out at 55.6°, 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.
Photographing meteors over Los Angeles
Point the camera 40–60° away from the radiant — northwest of Los Angeles 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.
Where to go from Los Angeles
From Los Angeles the sky keeps improving for about 48 km — that is where the glow around you falls to a twentieth of what it is over the city centre. Thirty kilometres out you are still at roughly 19% of the city-centre glow — which is why a quick run to the edge of town helps far less here than people expect.
Direction matters as much as distance. At the same range the sky southwest of the city sits at about <1% of the centre, while east is still 24% — the same drive, several times the difference.
Distance is straight-line from the city centre; by road expect roughly a fifth to a third more. Check access and opening hours before you set out — some reserves close at dusk.
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.
- Mount Pinos119 km northwest · sky glow <1% of the city centre
Widely regarded by Southern California astronomers as the region's best dark site, and the Forest Service itself notes that people set up telescopes in the Chula Vista parking lot on moonless nights, with free first-come camping nearby.
- Chilao Campground37 km north-northeast · sky glow 3% of the city centre
Less than an hour up the Angeles Crest Highway, an 83-site first-come campground where an overnight stay lets you watch through the small hours legally.
- Mount Wilson Observatory26 km northeast · sky glow 6% of the city centre
Runs ticketed Saturday-evening public astronomy events with access to the historic 60-inch and 100-inch telescopes.
Measured from: VIIRS VNL 2025 (Earth Observation Group) · © OpenStreetMap contributors
Reading the numbers — More on this in the guide
Common questions about Los Angeles
When is the next meteor shower in Los Angeles?+
The Draconids, peaking on the night of October 7, 2026 local time.
What's the best meteor shower to watch from Los Angeles this year?+
The Geminids — its radiant climbs highest above Los Angeles'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 Los Angeles?+
During the Draconids peak, expect roughly 2–4 meteors an hour from Los Angeles’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 Los Angeles?+
Face roughly northwest. The Draconids radiant stands highest over Los Angeles around 19:50, reaching 55.6° — but don’t stare straight at it: the longest trails appear 40–60° to either side.
Will the moon spoil the Draconids from Los Angeles?+
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 Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles specifically — what’s falling, the best window, and whether the clouds will allow any of it.
How many meteor showers can you see from Los Angeles?+
Of the eleven major annual showers, 11 are visible from Los Angeles'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 Los Angeles 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
Get alerts for Los Angeles
We'll tell you the evening a shower is worth watching from Los Angeles — and only when the sky is actually clear.