If you are hoping to catch a few shooting stars without travelling far or buying equipment, the Leonids offer a chance next week. Spain’s November meteor shower reaches its peak overnight on Tuesday, November 17, into Wednesday, November 18, with the best chance of seeing it after midnight.

This will not be a spectacular meteor storm, and anyone expecting hundreds of shooting stars is likely to be disappointed. The forecast is around 15 meteors an hour under ideal conditions, although the number visible will depend on how dark and clear the sky is.

When to see the Leonids in Spain

The National Geographic Institute (IGN) says the Leonids will reach maximum activity at approximately 00:45 on Wednesday, November 18, in mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands. In the Canary Islands, that is 23:45 on Tuesday, November 17.  The meteor shower is active from November 6 to 30, so shooting stars may be visible on other nights.

However, November 17 into 18 is expected to offer the strongest activity. The Leonids are usually a modest shower, producing between 10 and 20 meteors an hour. The 2026 forecast is around 15 an hour in ideal viewing conditions, rather than the thousands sometimes associated with Leonid storms. 

Where and how to watch the meteor shower

You do not need a telescope or binoculars to watch the Leonids. The IGN recommends leaving optical equipment aside because it narrows the amount of sky you can see. The best option is to get away from streetlights and other sources of light pollution, choosing an open spot with few obstructions. Buildings, trees and hills can block parts of the night sky, while urban lighting makes fainter meteors harder to pick out.

Although the meteors appear to come from the constellation Leo, they can streak across any part of the sky. There is no need to stare in one direction: settle somewhere comfortable, look towards the darkest area you can see and give your eyes time to adjust. The Moon should be less of a problem around the peak. It will be in its first quarter and is expected to set around midnight, leaving the later hours darker. The IGN says that, from latitudes around 40 degrees north, the Leonids’ radiant rises above the horizon from midnight and remains visible until dawn. A warm blanket can make the wait more comfortable, particularly if you plan to stay outside until dawn. 

What causes the Leonids?

The shooting stars are tiny fragments left behind by comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. Earth passes through its trail of debris every November, and particles entering the atmosphere burn up, producing the streaks of light seen from the ground. The comet takes around 33 years to orbit the Sun.

Particularly dense trails can produce dramatic meteor storms. The Leonids are known for spectacular displays in the past, but no storm is forecast for 2026.  Clear skies will decide how much of the shower people can see, so check local weather conditions before heading out. If clouds intervene on the peak night, the Leonids remain active until November 30, although activity will be lower.

Shoppers and tourists in central Madrid had their plans disrupted on Saturday, November 14, after a suspicious suitcase prompted a police operation in the busy shopping district between Puerta del Sol and Plaza de Callao.

Police cordoned off Calle Preciados and restricted access to the surrounding area while explosives specialists investigated the unattended luggage. The operation brought activity to a standstill along one of the capital’s busiest shopping streets, with pedestrians forced to find alternative routes.

Suspicious suitcase found beside El Corte Inglés

The alert was raised shortly after 02:00pm after a suspicious object was spotted at the junction of Calle Preciados and Calle de Tetuán, beside the main entrance to El Corte Inglés. According to information given by officers to people in the area, the object was believed to be an unattended suitcase. Police National and Policía Municipal officers quickly moved in, closing the pedestrian route along the entire stretch of Preciados, from Sol to Callao. 

The closure affected a particularly busy part of the capital, lined with major retailers including Zara, Mango, FNAC, Sfera, Foot Locker and Stradivarius. The street was left almost completely empty, with police vehicles and security tape replacing the usual crowds of shoppers. Images from the scene showed the scale of the cordon, with officers preventing people from entering the street. Witnesses also reported that some businesses had been evacuated.

Following the assessment, the decision was taken to detonate the suitcase in a controlled explosion. The procedure allowed specialists to eliminate any potential danger without having to handle the contents directly. No explosives were found inside the suitcase, and the incident was declared a false alarm. No injuries were reported.

Desalojada la Puerta del Sol por amenaza de bomba.
¿Qué más nos puede pasar? https://t.co/1jbcqRQuM1

— Gloria Lomana (@LomanaGloria) November 14, 2026

Madrid has faced a string of suspicious luggage alerts

The incident comes after several days of similar alerts across Spain, following a deadly explosion involving a backpack in Oviedo on Tuesday, November 10. A National Police officer, who was part of a canine unit, was killed when an explosive device concealed inside a backpack detonated during a police operation. His police dog also died, while a TEDAX explosives specialist suffered serious injuries.  Since then, abandoned suitcases and backpacks have prompted evacuations, road closures and police deployments in several cities.

In Madrid, TEDAX specialists carried out a controlled explosion on a suitcase found in Plaza de España on Wednesday, November 11. The luggage was eventually found to contain no explosives. A separate operation in Guadarrama that afternoon also ended with a controlled detonation of a suspicious backpack, which was likewise found to be harmless. 

The following days brought further alerts across the Community of Madrid, including incidents in Arganda del Rey, Galapagar, Fuenlabrada and Alcorcón. A suspicious backpack at Valdecarros Metro station on Friday morning also forced the temporary suspension of Line 1 services between Las Suertes and Valdecarros for around 80 minutes. That alert was declared negative. 

Police urge people not to approach abandoned luggage

Police procedures require suspicious objects to be treated as potentially dangerous until specialist officers have examined them. This can mean cordoning off streets, evacuating nearby buildings and disrupting public transport while checks are carried out.

Anyone finding an unattended suitcase or backpack that appears suspicious should avoid touching or moving it, keep their distance and contact emergency services. Whether the suitcase in Preciados contained anything dangerous remained unconfirmed.