When is the Geminid meteor shower in 2026, and how do you see it?

The Geminids peak on 13 to 14 December 2026, and this year the Moon stays out of the way. The International Meteor Organization (IMO) expects the maximum on 14 December around 14:00 UT, with a thin waxing crescent that sets in the evening. From a dark site you can expect 40 to 60 meteors an hour at the best time of night.

That makes 2026 a good Geminid year: new Moon falls on 9 December, five days before the peak, so the second half of the night is dark everywhere.

Geminids 2026 at a glance

	Expected (2026)
Active	4 to 20 December (IMO)
Maximum	14 December, around 14:00 UT; broad, with ZHR 100+ for about 10 to 12 hours
ZHR at peak	150 (ideal sky, radiant overhead)
Realistic count, dark site	about 40 to 60 per hour
Moon	New 9 Dec, first quarter 17 Dec; about 15 to 25% lit, setting mid-evening
Radiant	Near Castor in Gemini, highest around 2 a.m. local time
Speed	35 km/s, medium-slow, often bright

Which night should you go out?

The peak is wide, so pick the night that suits your time zone and the weather:

• North America and Europe: the night of 13 to 14 December sits closest to the maximum. The night of 14 to 15 December is still good. On the 14th in London the Moon sets around 21:20, according to the Royal Observatory Greenwich.
• Japan, China, Taiwan, Southeast Asia: the night of 14 to 15 December. 14:00 UT is 23:00 in Japan and 22:00 in Beijing and Taipei. Japan’s national observatory (NAOJ) expects about 60 meteors an hour near Tokyo between midnight and 2 a.m. on the 15th, with the Moon gone by about 21:00.
• Southern Hemisphere: Gemini rises late, so the radiant is only well up around midnight and rates are lower. Watch from about midnight until dawn.

The Geminids also do well before midnight, which is rare for a major shower. NASA notes the shower gets going around 9 or 10 p.m., so it works for kids who can’t stay up until 3 a.m.

How to find the radiant

The meteors seem to fly out of a point near Castor, the fainter of the two bright “twin” stars in Gemini. Pollux sits next to it. In the evening they are low in the east; by 2 a.m. they are high in the south (from the Northern Hemisphere).

You don’t need to stare at the radiant. Meteors appear all over the sky, and the ones far from the radiant have longer trails. Look at a wide, dark patch of sky about halfway up.

I build Sky Map, so weigh this tip: point the AR view toward the east after dark and it labels Gemini, Castor and Pollux over the camera, so you know where the shower comes from. The astronomical calendar in the app lists meteor showers, and Tonight’s Sky Conditions shows cloud cover and humidity for your location. Check the cloud forecast the afternoon before.

Getting the most out of the night

1. Get away from lights. A town sky can cut the count to a few per hour (city stargazing tips).
2. Give your eyes 20 to 30 minutes. Keep the phone dim or red (dark adaptation).
3. Dress for a December night. Lie back on a reclining chair or a mat with a sleeping bag. You will be still for an hour or more.
4. No telescope or binoculars. Your eyes see the most sky.

Geminids come from asteroid 3200 Phaethon, not from a comet like most showers. Its debris is denser than comet dust, and the meteors are often bright and sometimes coloured.

More: all of the year’s meteor showers and eclipses, the best time to stargaze tonight, and the older stargazing locations guide.

Sources: IMO 2026 Meteor Shower Calendar (maximum, ZHR, activity, radiant); NASA Science: Geminids (Phaethon, rates under dark skies, timing); NAOJ: Geminids 2026 (Japan timing and counts); Royal Observatory Greenwich (UK moonset); timeanddate.com Moon phases 2026. Checked 31 October 2026. Rates and timings are forecasts.