Stargaze › Meteor Showers › Geminids
Peak: 14 December 2026, around 02:00 UTC
Active: 4 December 2026 – 20 December 2026
Rate at peak: up to 150 meteors/hour (ZHR)
Speed: 35 km/s ·
Parent body: Asteroid 3200 Phaethon ·
Radiant: Gemini
Many astronomers quietly consider the Geminids the best shower of the year - rates hit 150 per hour, the meteors are colourful and slow enough to track across the sky, and they start early enough (9 PM) that you don't need to stay up until 3 AM. The source isn't a comet either but a weird rocky asteroid called Phaethon that sheds dust like a comet but shouldn't be able to.
The radiant in Gemini rises around 9 PM, earlier than most showers. Bundle up properly - this is December. Bring hand warmers, a sleeping bag or thick blanket, and a flask of something hot. Geminids are slower than most, which makes them easier to watch. A clear December night with no moon is genuinely one of the best stargazing experiences of the year.
One of the few major showers that works equally well from both hemispheres. From northern mid-latitudes the radiant in Gemini is circumpolar, meaning it's above the horizon all night.
In the 1800s the Geminids barely registered at 10 to 20 ZHR. Jupiter's gravity has been slowly pulling the debris stream closer to Earth's orbit over the past two centuries, and the shower has been getting better every decade. It's expected to keep improving through the 21st century.
The Geminids peak on 14 December 2026 at around 02:00 UTC. The shower is active from 4 December 2026 to 20 December 2026.
Under dark skies at peak you can expect up to 150 meteors per hour (ZHR). Light pollution and moonlight reduce that figure.
The radiant lies in the constellation Gemini, but meteors appear across the whole sky. The radiant in Gemini rises around 9 PM, earlier than most showers. Bundle up properly - this is December. Bring hand warmers, a sleeping bag or thick blanket, and a flask of something hot. Geminids are slower than most, which makes them easier to watch. A clear December night with no moon is genuinely one of the best stargazing experiences of the year.