Geminids 2026: the season's best meteor shower, Dec 13–14

Dates and the night to pick

• Active: Dec 4 to 20 (the American Meteor Society lists Dec 4 to 17).
• Peak: about 13:45 UT on Dec 14, which is 8:45 a.m. EST, 7:45 a.m. CST, 6:45 a.m. MST and 5:45 a.m. PST on Monday, Dec 14. In the West the peak comes close to dawn; farther east it falls after sunrise.
• Some sources list an earlier peak, about 05:45 UT (12:45 a.m. EST). Either way, the night of Sunday, Dec 13 into Monday, Dec 14 is the one to plan for.
• Backup: if clouds win, try the night of Dec 14–15. It's further from the peak, and the crescent stays up a little later.
• Clocks: all times here are standard time, and Arizona matches Denver.

Moon and radiant: a shower for the evening, too

At the peak the Moon is a waxing crescent about 25 percent lit, and on the night of Dec 13–14 it sets between about 9:30 and 10:30 p.m. local time.

The American Meteor Society puts the Moon at 15 percent for the peak night; either way it is down well before midnight.

The radiant, near the bright stars Castor and Pollux in Gemini, rises in the early evening: around 5:15 p.m. in Seattle, 5:30 p.m. in Chicago, 5:50 p.m. in Denver, 6:50 p.m. in Phoenix and about 7 p.m. in Miami. It's about 30 degrees up by 8:45 to 9:30 p.m. and stands 75 to 90 degrees high, close to overhead, around 2 a.m.

That makes the Geminids the one major shower of the season that works well before midnight. Start when the Moon sets, around 10 p.m., and keep going as long as you can.

What a ZHR of 150 means

The Geminids' zenithal hourly rate (ZHR) is about 150, the highest of any shower this season. ZHR is what one observer would count in an hour under a perfect sky with the radiant overhead. Real counts are lower: EarthSky's estimate for a dark site is up to about 120 an hour, and from a suburb you'll see a fraction of that, because faint meteors vanish into the skyglow.

Even a fraction is a lot. A camera sees only part of the sky and records only the brighter meteors, but on this night patience is usually rewarded, and a second camera aimed at another part of the sky doubles your chances.

Geminids move at about 35 km (22 miles) per second, about half the speed of the Leonids. Their parent is not a comet but the asteroid 3200 Phaethon. No outburst is predicted; the shower simply needs clear skies.

Where to go in December

In December, clear skies matter as much as dark ones. The desert Southwest is the sunniest part of the country, while the Pacific Northwest, the Upper Great Lakes and the Appalachians are among the cloudiest in winter, partly because of lake-effect clouds. Check a site forecast such as the Clear Sky Chart, which covers cloud, transparency and seeing up to 96 hours ahead but doesn't include smoke.

• West Texas: Big Bend National Park. The National Park Service names Sotol Vista, the Rio Grande overlook and Dugout Wells among its stargazing spots. McDonald Observatory near Fort Davis runs paid evening star parties.
• Four Corners: Chaco Culture National Historical Park (dirt roads; high-clearance four-wheel drive advised; closures after heavy rain), Natural Bridges National Monument and Grand Canyon National Park. Check winter road conditions before you go.
• California and Nevada: Death Valley, Joshua Tree and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. At Great Basin National Park the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive is closed in winter, so plan on lower viewpoints.
• East: Cherry Springs State Park in Pennsylvania is open every day of the year, and its Overnight Astronomy Observation Field stays open all night for registered users. PA Route 44 is a narrow mountain road with a risk of snow and ice, so call the park office before you drive. In the Southeast, Stephen C. Foster State Park in Georgia and Pickett CCC Memorial State Park in Tennessee are options.
• Midwest and Rockies: the Headlands at Mackinaw City, Michigan, is open around the clock but sits under Great Lakes clouds. The Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve is another option; check winter road access before heading to Stanley.

Camera plan

• Lens and exposure: your widest lens (14 to 24 mm on full frame) at f/1.4 to f/2.8 and ISO 1600 to 6400. For exposure length, divide 500 by the focal length, after applying your crop factor, for the longest exposure in seconds before stars streak: about 25 seconds at 20 mm. The stricter NPF rule, which most astro apps calculate, gives shorter times on high-resolution sensors.
• Framing: with the radiant near the zenith after midnight, Geminids appear all over the sky. Aim about 20 to 40 degrees from Gemini and 50 to 70 degrees up, toward your darkest horizon. Earlier in the evening, Orion and Gemini rising in the east make a strong frame with a foreground.
• Shoot continuously with an intervalometer, in RAW, with long-exposure noise reduction off. Afterward you can align the frames on the stars and stack the meteors into one composite that shows them streaming from the radiant.
• Focus manually on a bright star with magnified live view, then tape the ring so it can't drift.
• Phones: use a tripod and night mode at its longest setting, and take many frames. Bright Geminids do show up.

Cold-weather checklist

• Batteries: cold shortens battery life. Sony's support advice is to warm the battery in a pocket and attach it just before shooting, and many cameras are rated for 32 to 104°F (0 to 40°C), so check your manual. Keep spares close to your body.
• Dew and frost: a lens heater band, or a chemical hand warmer held against the lens with a rubber band, keeps the front element clear.
• Hypothermia: it can set in even above 40°F if you get wet. Warning signs include shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, slurred speech and drowsiness, and a body temperature below 95°F (35°C) is an emergency. Dress in layers and stay dry.
• Car kit: a blanket, ice scraper, shovel, flashlight, water, snacks, sand or cat litter for traction, a phone charger, and flares or a reflective triangle. Tell someone your route.
• If you get stuck: stay with the vehicle, crack a window slightly and run the heater for a few minutes each hour while wrapped in blankets. Never burn candles or matches inside a car, because of carbon monoxide.
• When you have your Geminid composite, share it in the Astro photography hobby on Garbamons.