Meteor shower 2026
Geminid meteor shower 2026
Updated
Next Geminid peak: night of Dec 14–15, 2026 (ZHR 150) Active Dec 4 – Dec 20; Moon 25% lit at peak (some moonlight).
When the Geminids peak in 2026, how many meteors to expect, how bright the Moon will be, and where to look, computed from the International Meteor Organization's shower parameters.
- Peak
- Dec 14, 2026 2026-12-14 13:45 UTC, solar longitude 262.2°
- ZHR at peak
- 150 meteors per hour, ideal sky, radiant overhead
- Moon at peak
- 25% lit Waxing crescent, some moonlight
- Radiant
- RA 7h 28m, Dec +33° GEM
- Speed
- 35 km/s medium
- Best from
- Northern Hemisphere
- Parent body
- asteroid 3200 Phaethon
When the Geminids peak in 2026
In 2026 the Geminids peak at 2026-12-14 13:45 UTC, when the Sun reaches solar longitude 262.2° (J2000). That makes the night of Dec 14–15 the one to watch; the activity window opens December 4, 50 days from now.
The Moon will be 25% illuminated (waxing crescent) at the peak: some moonlight. In 2027 the peak falls on Dec 14, 2027 with the Moon 98% lit, a worse year for moonlight.
From 45° N the radiant stands 43° high at 10 pm and 63° at 4 am local time, so the pre-dawn hours are best. With the radiant at 63°, a ZHR of 150 means roughly 134 meteors per hour under a perfectly dark sky; light pollution and moonlight cut that a lot. The radiant never rises south of about 57° S.
How high the radiant gets
Radiant altitude on the peak night at 10 pm and 4 am local time. The higher the radiant, the more meteors you see.
| Latitude | 10 pm | 4 am |
|---|---|---|
| 50° N (London, Calgary) | 44° | 62° |
| 35° N (Los Angeles, Tokyo) | 41° | 64° |
| Equator | 25° | 46° |
| 35° S (Sydney, Buenos Aires) | 2° | 16° |
How to watch the Geminids
Get away from street lights, let your eyes adapt for 20–30 minutes, and look about 40–60° away from the radiant rather than straight at it; meteors appear all over the sky and their trails point back to the radiant (RA 7h 28m, Dec +33°). No telescope or binoculars needed.
Geminid meteors enter the atmosphere at 35 km/s, a medium speed. The Geminids are usually the strongest shower of the year. The radiant near Castor is up by mid-evening, so they are good even before midnight, and the meteors are slow and bright. Their parent is an asteroid, Phaethon, not a comet.
Geminids peak dates
| Year | Peak (UTC) | Best night | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-12-14 13:45 UTC | Dec 14–15 | 25% lit |
| 2027 | 2027-12-14 19:53 UTC | Dec 14–15 | 98% lit |
| 2028 | 2028-12-14 02:01 UTC | Dec 13–14 | 5% lit |
Peak times come from the mean solar longitude of maximum; real peaks can shift by several hours, and unexpected outbursts happen.
Next meteor showers
More sky pages
Data: International Meteor Organization (working list), GodsView computed Moon and radiant positions.