- The 2026 Ursids peak on the night of 22 Dec–23 Dec; active 17 Dec – 26 Dec.
- Up to 10 meteors an hour in a perfect sky; on the peak night in London about <1 from a dark site, about <1 from town.
- The Moon is 97% lit: only the brighter meteors will show.
- The radiant is in Ursa Minor, highest around 06:30.
- Source: 8P/Tuttle; speed 33 km/s.
When to look in 2026
The Ursids are active from 17 Dec to 26 Dec. The curve shows activity rising and falling, the dots under it how much of the Moon is lit each night. This year the most meteors are likely not on the peak night but on 21 Dec, when the Moon interferes less.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 17 Dec | 0 | 61 % | 06:20 | <1 | <1 |
| Fri 18 Dec | 0 | 71 % | 06:20 | <1 | <1 |
| Sat 19 Dec | 0 | 80 % | 06:20 | <1 | <1 |
| Sun 20 Dec | 2 | 89 % | 06:20 | <1 | <1 |
| Mon 21 Decmost meteors | 7 | 95 % | 06:20 | 2 | <1 |
| Tue 22 DecPeak | 8 | 97 % | 18:00 | <1 | <1 |
| Wed 23 Dec | 2 | 100 % | 18:00 | <1 | <1 |
| Thu 24 Dec | 0 | 99 % | 18:00 | <1 | <1 |
| Fri 25 Dec | 0 | 96 % | 18:00 | <1 | <1 |
| Sat 26 Dec | 0 | 89 % | 18:00 | <1 | <1 |
Where to look
The meteors fly out of the radiant in Ursa Minor. In London it stays above the horizon all night and is highest, 63°, around 06:30.
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 Ursids are dust from Comet 8P/Tuttle, which orbits the Sun every 13.6 years.
History
The Ursids usually give about 10 an hour, but now and then the shower strengthens: in 1945 and 1986 observers saw up to 100 an hour. The peak falls around the winter solstice, 22 December.
What they look like and how to watch
The radiant in Ursa Minor, near Polaris, never sets from northern Europe, and the longest nights of the year give the most dark hours. The meteors are of medium speed (33 km/s) and often faint, so a dark site helps.
How many meteors you will really see
The ZHR (10) 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 = 3. 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 | Wednesday · 22 December 2027 | 25 % |
| 2028 | Thursday · 21 December 2028 | 33 % |
| 2029 | Friday · 21 December 2029 | 98 % |
| 2030 | Sunday · 22 December 2030 | 7 % |
| 2031 | Monday · 22 December 2031 | 69 % |
| 2032 | Tuesday · 21 December 2032 | 76 % |
Other meteor showers
Questions people ask
When are the Ursids in 2026?
The peak is on the night of 22 Dec–23 Dec. The shower is active from 17 Dec to 26 Dec, so meteors show for several nights before and after.
What time is best?
In London on the peak night, around 18:00, when the radiant is 40° up and the Moon interferes least.
How many meteors will I see?
A ZHR of 10 is the perfect-sky figure. In London on the peak night expect about <1 an hour from a dark site and about <1 from town.
Which way should I look?
Meteors come from the direction of Ursa Minor but appear all over the sky. Look 40–60° away from the radiant, at the darkest part of the sky.
What causes the Ursids?
Dust left by 8P/Tuttle. The Earth crosses the stream at the same time every year, and the grains burn up in the atmosphere at 33 km/s.
Will the Moon get in the way?
The Moon is 97% lit: only the brighter meteors will show.
- 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.