Geminid meteor shower 2026: UK peak night and best time
21% moon
Peak night: 13–14 Dec 2026 Peak in 56 days
Active 4 Dec – 20 Dec 2026. 4 Dec Peak 20 Dec Best from about 22:00, peaking around 02:00 when Gemini is high in the south.
Up to 150 meteors an hour at the peak under a perfectly dark sky; expect fewer in practice. On the peak night, moonlight is no problem: the Moon is only 21% lit.
The year after: peak night 13–14 Dec 2027. A 100% lit Moon is up all night and will wash out the fainter meteors.
The Geminids at a glance
- Radiant
- Near the bright star Castor in Gemini
- Parent
- The asteroid 3200 Phaethon
- Meteor speed
- About 35 km/s (78,295 mph)
- Peak rate (ZHR)
- Up to 150 an hour
How many meteors to expect
The strongest shower of the year: up to about 150 an hour at the peak under a perfectly dark sky, and 100 or more for 10 to 12 hours. From a dark UK site expect 60 or more an hour around 02:00. Geminids are fairly slow and often bright, with more bright ones late in the peak.
How to find the radiant
Find Orion, then look up and to the left for the two bright stars Castor and Pollux. The radiant is next to Castor, the upper one. Gemini rises in the north-east around sunset in December, so Geminids are visible from mid-evening, and the radiant is highest in the south at about 02:00, when rates are best.
About the Geminids
The Geminids were first recorded in 1862, much later than the Perseids or Leonids. Almost every meteor shower comes from a comet, but the Geminids come from an asteroid, 3200 Phaethon. Geminids are unusually colourful: mostly white, some yellow and a few green, red and blue. Long December nights give the UK more hours of darkness for this shower than any other, and the radiant is up from mid-evening, so it suits anyone who can't stay up late.
Where to watch the Geminids in the UK
Get away from street lights to somewhere with a wide view of the sky. Britain’s darkest skies sit over its upland national parks and Dark Sky Parks; each area below lists the peaks with forecasts and stargazing scores.
Geminids questions
When is the Geminid meteor shower 2026?
The Geminids are active from 4 December to 20 December 2026 and peak on the night of 13–14 Dec 2026.
What time is best to see the Geminids?
Best from about 22:00, peaking around 02:00 when Gemini is high in the south. On the peak night, moonlight is no problem: the Moon is only 21% lit.
Where should I look to see the Geminids?
The meteors appear to come from near the bright star Castor in Gemini. Find Orion, then look up and to the left for the two bright stars Castor and Pollux. The radiant is next to Castor, the upper one. Gemini rises in the north-east around sunset in December, so Geminids are visible from mid-evening, and the radiant is highest in the south at about 02:00, when rates are best.
How many Geminids will I see?
The strongest shower of the year: up to about 150 an hour at the peak under a perfectly dark sky, and 100 or more for 10 to 12 hours. From a dark UK site expect 60 or more an hour around 02:00. Geminids are fairly slow and often bright, with more bright ones late in the peak.
More showers: Quadrantids · Lyrids · Eta Aquariids · Southern Delta Aquariids · Alpha Capricornids · Perseids · Draconids · Orionids · Taurids · Leonids · Ursids. Every sky event this year: the UK sky calendar.