Meteor Shower
Geminids Meteor Shower
Peak rates of about 150 meteors per hour under ideal dark skies. Radiant in Gemini.
Your local time
14 Dec 2027, 16:13
Universal time
14 Dec 2027, 10:43 UTC
Countdown
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The Geminids are produced by debris from Asteroid 3200 Phaethon. Meteors appear to radiate from a point at RA 112°, Dec 33°, entering the atmosphere at about 35 km/s. The quoted zenithal hourly rate of 150 assumes a radiant overhead and a perfectly dark sky; real observed rates are usually lower. No equipment is needed — lie back, let your eyes dark-adapt for 20 minutes and watch a wide patch of sky.
Observation details
- Visibility
- Partially visible
- Best viewing time
- 15 Dec 2027, 02:13
- Direction to look
- NNE · azimuth 26°
- Altitude at peak
- -22.0°
- Equipment
- Naked Eye
- Zenithal hourly rate
- ~150/hr
- Parent
- Asteroid 3200 Phaethon
- Entry velocity
- 35 km/s
- Solar longitude at peak
- 262.20°
The event's peak happens below your horizon, but the same part of the sky reaches 86° later in the night.
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Photography & observing tips
- •Give your eyes at least 20 minutes to dark-adapt and avoid white light entirely.
- •Look about 40° away from the radiant rather than straight at it — meteors there leave longer trails.
- •For photography use a fast wide lens at f/2.8 or wider, 15–25 second exposures, and shoot continuously.
Event timeline
Times shown in your local timezone, computed from the event geometry.
Activity ramps up
9 Dec 2027, 16:13 · 9 Dec 2027, 10:43 UTC
Peak
14 Dec 2027, 16:13 · 14 Dec 2027, 10:43 UTC
Activity fades
19 Dec 2027, 16:13 · 19 Dec 2027, 10:43 UTC
Other meteor shower events
The nearest occurrences before and after this one.