Geminids meteor shower 2026 and 2027

What the Geminids are

Most meteor showers come from comets. The Geminids come from 3200 Phaethon, a small body about 3 miles (5 km) wide that the Infrared Astronomical Satellite discovered in 1983. NASA explains that Phaethon behaves like a rocky asteroid, with no tail when it passes the Sun, yet it follows a stretched, comet-like orbit that takes it very close to the Sun. It may be a “dead comet” or a “rock comet.” Astronomer Fred Whipple identified it as the source of the Geminids.

The grains Phaethon has shed are denser than typical comet dust, according to NASA. They strike the atmosphere at a moderate speed, slower than Perseids or Leonids.

What they look like

NASA describes Geminids as bright and says they tend to be yellow. The International Meteor Organization (IMO) says the shower is known for bright meteors and fireballs. IMO also reports a pattern called mass sorting: in most years, the share of bright Geminids grows toward the end of the main maximum, so the later part of the peak often has more striking meteors even if the total count is similar.

How to watch from the US

The radiant lies near Castor, one of the twin stars of Gemini. IMO notes that well north of the equator, the radiant rises around sunset and reaches a useful height in the evening, culminating near 2 a.m. local time. That makes the Geminids one of the few major showers worth watching before midnight. The best-hours table above usually spans much of the night, with the highest rates when Gemini is near its highest.

The whole US is well placed; the shower favors middle and northern latitudes. The peak is broad, too: IMO says ZHRs of 100 or more last for roughly 10 to 12 hours, so many longitudes get a share of strong activity. ZHR, the zenithal hourly rate, is the number one person would see under a perfectly dark sky with the radiant overhead.

December cold is the main obstacle. Dress in layers, bring a sleeping bag or blankets, and recline facing south, as NASA suggests, taking in as much sky as possible. Give your eyes about 30 minutes to adapt, and see our guide to watching a meteor shower for more.

Notable history

The Geminids are a relatively young shower. NASA says they first appeared in the mid-1800s with only 10 to 20 meteors an hour and have since grown into one of the major showers of the year. The American Meteor Society calls the Geminids the strongest dependable display of the year. IMO describes them as the best and most reliable of the major annual showers currently observable. Because Phaethon’s debris is on a short-period orbit, IMO notes that the stream can change relatively quickly, although the timing of the peak has varied little in recent years.

2026 and 2027 outlook

2026. IMO predicts a broad, moon-free maximum centered on December 14 at 14h UT, with recent peaks falling between 21h UT on December 13 and 18h UT on December 14. The peak time is 9 a.m. EST and 6 a.m. PST, so the western US sees the predicted peak as dawn begins, and the whole country has the rising part of the maximum during the peak night shown above. Only a waxing crescent Moon is present, setting in the evening. This is one of the best showers of the 2026 season; see the 2026 calendar.

2027. IMO expects the maximum centered around 20h UT on December 14. The Moon will be full and close to its highest point on the ecliptic, which IMO says will severely disturb observations. Expect only the brighter Geminids.