December Monocerotids 2026: peak night, meteors per hour and where to watch
The December Monocerotids are a minor shower from Comet Mellish, active in the first half of December next to the Geminids. A few meteors an hour.
- Peak night
- 8–9 December
- ZHR
- up to 3 an hour
- Moon
- 0% — not in the way
- Active
- 1–19 December
- Radiant
- Monoceros · after midnight
- Best time over London
- around 01:34, radiant 46° up
- Under a dark sky
- ≈ 2 meteors an hour
- Speed
- 41 km/s
- Parent
- C/1917 F1 (Mellish)
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.
December Monocerotids FAQ
When do the December Monocerotids peak in 2026?
On the night of 8–9 December; over London the best time is around 01:34, when the radiant in Monoceros is 46° up.
How many meteors will I see?
The shower ZHR is 3; over London under a dark sky about 2 an hour, in a city just a few.
Will the Moon get in the way?
No: the Moon is 0% 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 NovemberSigma Hydrids · 8–9 DecemberGeminids · 14–15 DecemberUrsids · 22–23 DecemberMeteor showers 2026 →