Geminids 2026: peak night, meteors per hour and where to watch
The Geminids are the richest meteor shower of the year: up to 150 an hour under a dark sky. The parent is not a comet but asteroid 3200 Phaethon. The radiant near Castor is up in the evening and meteors show all night — no need to wait for morning. Medium-speed, often bright.
- Peak night
- 14–15 December
- ZHR
- up to 150 an hour
- Moon
- 25% — not in the way
- Active
- 4–20 December
- Radiant
- Gemini · after midnight
- Best time over London
- around 01:54, radiant 71° up
- Under a dark sky
- ≈ 142 meteors an hour
- Speed
- 35 km/s
- Parent
- 3200 Phaethon
How to see a meteor shower, not three meteors
- 1
Get away from light pollution
The Dark Sky layer on the map shows where it is Bortle 4 or darker, with campsites nearby.
- 2
Wait until after midnight
The radiant climbs towards morning and Earth 'flies into' the dust: two to three times more meteors than in the evening.
- 3
Look away from the radiant
40–60° from the radiant meteors are longer. Lie down, keep warm, give your eyes 20 minutes without a phone.
Geminids FAQ
When do the Geminids peak in 2026?
On the night of 14–15 December; over London the best time is around 01:54, when the radiant in Gemini is 71° up.
How many meteors will I see?
The shower ZHR is 150; over London under a dark sky about 142 an hour, in a city just a few.
Will the Moon get in the way?
No: the Moon is 25% lit and out of the way at the best hours.
Other meteor showers of 2026
Quadrantids · 3–4 JanuaryLyrids · 22–23 AprilEta Aquariids · 5–6 MaySouthern Delta Aquariids · 31 July — 1 AugustAlpha Capricornids · 31 July — 1 AugustPerseids · 12–13 AugustDraconids · 8–9 OctoberOrionids · 21–22 OctoberSouthern Taurids · 5–6 NovemberNorthern Taurids · 12–13 NovemberLeonids · 17–18 NovemberDecember Monocerotids · 8–9 DecemberSigma Hydrids · 8–9 DecemberUrsids · 22–23 DecemberMeteor showers 2026 →