Meteor shower 2026
Ursid meteor shower 2026
Updated
Next Ursid peak: night of Dec 22–23, 2026 (ZHR 10) Active Dec 17 – Dec 26; Moon 98% lit at peak (near full Moon, poor).
When the Ursids 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 22, 2026 2026-12-22 22:11 UTC, solar longitude 270.7°
- ZHR at peak
- 10 meteors per hour, ideal sky, radiant overhead
- Moon at peak
- 98% lit Full Moon, near full Moon, poor
- Radiant
- RA 14h 28m, Dec +76° URS
- Speed
- 33 km/s medium
- Best from
- Northern Hemisphere
- Parent body
- comet 8P/Tuttle
When the Ursids peak in 2026
In 2026 the Ursids peak at 2026-12-22 22:11 UTC, when the Sun reaches solar longitude 270.7° (J2000). That makes the night of Dec 22–23 the one to watch; the activity window opens December 17, 58 days from now.
The Moon will be 98% illuminated (full moon) at the peak: near full Moon, poor. In 2027 the peak falls on Dec 23, 2027 with the Moon 21% lit, a better year.
From 45° N the radiant stands 32° high at 10 pm and 49° at 4 am local time, so the pre-dawn hours are best. With the radiant at 49°, a ZHR of 10 means roughly 8 meteors per hour under a perfectly dark sky; light pollution and moonlight cut that a lot. The radiant never rises south of about 14° 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) | 37° | 54° |
| 35° N (Los Angeles, Tokyo) | 22° | 40° |
| Equator | below horizon | 6° |
| 35° S (Sydney, Buenos Aires) | below horizon | below horizon |
How to watch the Ursids
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 14h 28m, Dec +76°). No telescope or binoculars needed.
Ursid meteors enter the atmosphere at 33 km/s, a medium speed. A modest shower around the December solstice with a radiant near the Little Dipper, which never sets from most of the Northern Hemisphere. Occasional outbursts of 25 to 50 per hour have been seen.
Ursids peak dates
| Year | Peak (UTC) | Best night | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-12-22 22:11 UTC | Dec 22–23 | 98% lit |
| 2027 | 2027-12-23 04:19 UTC | Dec 22–23 | 21% lit |
| 2028 | 2028-12-22 10:27 UTC | Dec 21–22 | 36% 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.