Ursids 2026: peak night, meteors per hour and where to watch
The Ursids are the last shower of the year, around the winter solstice. The radiant is in Ursa Minor near Polaris, so for northern observers it never sets and meteors show all night — usually up to 10 an hour, sometimes with outbursts.
- Peak night
- 22–23 December
- ZHR
- up to 10 an hour
- Moon
- 98% — in the way
- Active
- 17–26 December
- Radiant
- Ursa Minor · before dawn
- Best time over London
- around 06:37, radiant 64° up
- Under a dark sky
- ≈ 9 meteors an hour
- Speed
- 33 km/s
- Parent
- 8P/Tuttle
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.
Ursids FAQ
When do the Ursids peak in 2026?
On the night of 22–23 December; over London the best time is around 06:37, when the radiant in Ursa Minor is 64° up.
How many meteors will I see?
The shower ZHR is 10; over London under a dark sky about 9 an hour, in a city just a few.
Will the Moon get in the way?
Yes: on the peak night the Moon is 98% lit and above the horizon — look away from it or watch a couple of nights before the peak.
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 DecemberGeminids · 14–15 DecemberMeteor showers 2026 →