Geminid meteor shower 2026
The Geminid meteor shower peaks on December 14, 2026, at about 14h UT (IMO). In the US that is the morning of December 14, so watch on the night of December 13 to 14. It is the strongest shower of the year, with a ZHR of about 150, and the Moon is only a thin crescent.
Sources: IMO 2026 Meteor Shower Calendar (Rendtel, IMO INFO(3-25)) and the AMS meteor shower calendar , both read on November 1, 2026.
Is it active right now?
No Geminids yet. GMN tracked 121,940 meteors from Oct 2 to Nov 1, 2026, and none were Geminids. That is expected: the shower starts on December 4. This page updates each time the site is built (last update Nov 1, 2026).
What to expect in 2026
The IMO calls the Geminids the best and most reliable of the major annual showers. Its peak is broad, with a ZHR of 100 or more for roughly 10 to 12 hours, and brighter Geminids tend to come late in that window.
What GMN cameras saw last year
GMN tracked 37,365 Geminids in December 2025. The busiest UTC day was December 14, with 14,508. 10,420 of them started glowing over a US state. That is 32% of the 118,046 meteors GMN tracked that month.
The brightest Geminid that month reached absolute magnitude -9.6 on Dec 14, 2025 at 01:34 UTC. It started glowing 98 km up, at 38.49° N, 18.79° E. Absolute magnitude is how bright a meteor would look 100 km away; lower is brighter (check).
Counts depend on weather and on how many cameras had clear skies, so they are not hourly rates. Source file: GMN monthly summary 202512 .
How to watch
- Get away from city lights and look at a wide patch of sky. You do not need a telescope.
- Give your eyes time to adjust to the dark, and stay off your phone screen.
- Check the forecast. GMN's own counts drop on cloudy nights, and so will yours.
- Saw a very bright one? Report it to the American Meteor Society .
Meteors near you
See what GMN cameras tracked over your state: meteors by US state. For tonight's other showers, see meteor shower tonight. Next shower guide: Leonid meteor shower.
Ask your AI agent
Add our free MCP server (how), then paste this. It runs on GMN's latest daily file.
01Newest Geminids
Use the Global Meteor Network to list the 5 newest Geminids (shower code GEM). For each one give the time in UTC, how bright it was, its speed, and where it started glowing. If there are none yet, say so.
Data: Global Meteor Network trajectory summaries, CC BY 4.0 . Cite Vida et al. 2020, MNRAS 491(2) and Vida et al. 2021, MNRAS 506(4). GMN data is preliminary and can change as more cameras report.
Questions people ask
When is the Geminid meteor shower 2026?
The Geminids are active from December 4 to 20, 2026 (IMO), and peak on December 14 at about 14h UT. AMS lists December 13 to 14 as the peak night.
What is the best night to see the Geminids in the US?
The night of December 13 to 14. The IMO peak time, 14h UT on December 14, is 9 am EST, so the dark hours just before it are the night of the 13th.
Can I see the Geminids before midnight?
Yes. AMS says it is the one major shower with good activity before midnight, because Gemini is well placed from 22:00 onward.
How many Geminids per hour?
The IMO gives a ZHR of about 150. That assumes a perfect dark sky with the radiant overhead, so most people see fewer.
Will the Moon interfere with the Geminids in 2026?
Not much. The IMO says there is only a waxing crescent at the maximum, and AMS puts it at 15% lit.