GEMINIDS · 2026
2026 Geminid meteor shower
Once the 14% lit Moon sets around 8:00 PM, the best view comes around 1:30 AM, when the radiant stands 81° up in the southeast.
- Peak
- Dec 13–15, 2026
- Best time
- night of Dec 12 → 1:30 AM on Dec 13
- Radiant
- 81° up in the southeast · Gemini
- Moonlight
- No moonlight · the 14% lit Moon sets around 8:00 PM
- Up to
- about 150 an hour (ZHR, ideal sky)
- Active
- Dec 4 – Dec 20
- Parent body
- asteroid 3200 Phaethon
- Meteor speed
- about 35 km/s
The best night around the peak
From 6 PM on Dec 12 to 6 AM the next morning, for New York.
- Radiant height
- Moon up (darker = brighter Moon)
- Twilight or day (sky not dark)
- Best time
Hour by hour
| Time | Radiant | Moon | Viewing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6:30 PM | northeast 7° | up · 13% | 11 |
| 7:30 PM | northeast 16° | up · 14% | 25 |
| 8:30 PM | east 27° | none | 45 |
| 9:30 PM | east 37° | none | 61 |
| 10:30 PM | east 49° | none | 75 |
| 11:30 PM | east 60° | none | 87 |
| 12:30 AM | east 71° | none | 95 |
| 1:30 AMBest | southeast 81° | none | 99 |
| 2:30 AM | southwest 80° | none | 98 |
| 3:30 AM | west 70° | none | 94 |
| 4:30 AM | west 58° | none | 85 |
| 5:30 AM | west 47° | none | 73 |
Viewing is this page’s comparison score: radiant height (its sine) times a moonlight factor. It is not a meteor count, and clouds, light pollution and terrain are not included.