- The 2026 Geminids peak on the night of 13 Dec–14 Dec; active 4 Dec – 20 Dec.
- Up to 150 meteors an hour in a perfect sky; on the peak night in London about 80 from a dark site, about 19 from town.
- The Moon will not interfere: the sky will be dark.
- The radiant is in Gemini, highest around 02:00.
- Source: 3200 Phaethon; speed 35 km/s.
When to look in 2026
The Geminids are active from 4 Dec to 20 Dec. The curve shows activity rising and falling, the dots under it how much of the Moon is lit each night.
Night by night
For each night the best hour is computed: the radiant high, the sky dark, the Moon in the way least. A dark site means out of town where the faintest stars show; town means a bright suburban sky.
| Night | ZHR | Moon | Best | Dark site | Town |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 7 Dec | 1 | 1 % | 03:20 | <1 | <1 |
| Tue 8 Dec | 1 | 0 % | 03:20 | <1 | <1 |
| Wed 9 Dec | 4 | 1 % | 03:20 | 2 | <1 |
| Thu 10 Dec | 9 | 4 % | 03:00 | 5 | 1 |
| Fri 11 Dec | 22 | 8 % | 03:00 | 13 | 3 |
| Sat 12 Dec | 56 | 14 % | 03:00 | 32 | 8 |
| Sun 13 DecPeakmost meteors | 140 | 21 % | 03:00 | 80 | 19 |
| Mon 14 Dec | 33 | 29 % | 00:00 | 18 | 4 |
| Tue 15 Dec | 5 | 38 % | 23:40 | 3 | <1 |
| Wed 16 Dec | 1 | 48 % | 23:40 | <1 | <1 |
| Thu 17 Dec | 0 | 58 % | 01:00 | <1 | <1 |
| Fri 18 Dec | 0 | 69 % | 02:20 | <1 | <1 |
| Sat 19 Dec | 0 | 79 % | 03:40 | <1 | <1 |
Where to look
The meteors fly out of the radiant in Gemini. In London it rises around 16:20 and is highest while dark, 71°, around 02:00.
You do not have to look at the radiant itself: meteors appear all over the sky, and the longest ones 40–60° away from it. Lie back, take in as much sky as you can and stay with it for 20–30 minutes so your eyes adapt.
Where they come from
The Geminids come not from a comet but from asteroid 3200 Phaethon, discovered in 1983. It passes closer to the Sun than Mercury, heats to about 700 °C and cracks, which is why astronomers call it a rock comet. In December the Earth crosses the dust it has shed.
History
The Geminids were first recorded only in 1862 and have grown stronger since: in the 19th century observers counted a dozen or so meteors an hour, today a perfect sky gives about 150. It is the strongest annual shower.
What they look like and how to watch
Geminids are slow (35 km/s), bright and sometimes yellowish or greenish. The radiant in Gemini, near Castor, is up from the evening, so meteors fall all night, not only before dawn: the one major shower that is easy to watch with children. The catch is the December cold, so dress warmer than you think you need.
How many meteors you will really see
The ZHR (150) is how many meteors an observer would see in an hour in a perfectly dark sky with the radiant straight overhead. The real count is always lower: the lower the radiant, the more meteors stay below the horizon, and every step of sky brightness hides the faintest ones.
This page uses the International Meteor Organization formula: hourly rate = ZHR × sine of the radiant altitude ÷ r^(6.5 − limiting magnitude). For this shower r = 2.6. A dark site is taken as showing stars to magnitude 6.0, a town to 4.5; moonlight takes off up to 1.8 magnitudes.
How to photograph a meteor
You need a camera with manual mode and a tripod. Wide-angle lens (14–24 mm), aperture wide open (f/1.8–f/2.8), ISO 1600–3200, exposures of 15–25 seconds. Focus manually on a bright star and tape the ring.
Shoot continuously with an intervalometer or remote, frame after frame for an hour or more. Meteors are random, so patience wins: one or two an hour is a normal catch. Aim 40–60° from the radiant, above the glow of the horizon.
Dates in the coming years
| Year | Peak | Moon |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | Monday · 13 December 2027 | 99 % |
| 2028 | Wednesday · 13 December 2028 | 7 % |
| 2029 | Thursday · 13 December 2029 | 61 % |
| 2030 | Friday · 13 December 2030 | 85 % |
| 2031 | Saturday · 13 December 2031 | 0 % |
| 2032 | Monday · 13 December 2032 | 88 % |
Other meteor showers
Questions people ask
When are the Geminids in 2026?
The peak is on the night of 13 Dec–14 Dec. The shower is active from 4 Dec to 20 Dec, so meteors show for several nights before and after.
What time is best?
In London on the peak night, around 03:00, when the radiant is 68° up and the Moon interferes least.
How many meteors will I see?
A ZHR of 150 is the perfect-sky figure. In London on the peak night expect about 80 an hour from a dark site and about 19 from town.
Which way should I look?
Meteors come from the direction of Gemini but appear all over the sky. Look 40–60° away from the radiant, at the darkest part of the sky.
What causes the Geminids?
Dust left by 3200 Phaethon. The Earth crosses the stream at the same time every year, and the grains burn up in the atmosphere at 35 km/s.
Will the Moon get in the way?
The Moon will not interfere: the sky will be dark.
- International Meteor Organization, Meteor Shower Calendar: activity periods, solar longitudes of the peaks, ZHR, population index.
- IMO Visual Observing Handbook: the hourly rate formula (ZHR, radiant altitude, limiting magnitude).
- Astronomy Engine (Don Cross): positions of the Sun, the Moon and the radiant.
- JPL Small-Body Database: comet and asteroid orbits.
The peak date is computed from the Sun's ecliptic longitude. The activity curve is the IMO model ZHR(λ) = ZHRmax · 10^(−B·|λ − λmax|). For each night the radiant altitude and the Sun and Moon are computed every 20 minutes; the hour with the highest expected count is shown.