Quadrantids
Active 28 December – 12 January
- ZHR 110
- Radiant dec +49.8°
- Speed 40.4 km/s
- Best from Northern hemisphere
December 2026
One shower peaks this month, with 2 more still active. The best Moon belongs to the Geminids on 14 December 2026, 25% lit — a mostly dark sky — a crescent Moon that is up for part of the night at most.
Peaking in December
| Peak (UTC) | Shower | Weekday | Moon | ZHR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geminids | Monday | 25% | 150 |
The Moon in December
Quarter phases in UTC. The days around new Moon are the dark window: if a shower is active across it, those nights often beat a moonlit peak.
- last quarter 1 December 2026 06:09 UTC
- new Moon 9 December 2026 00:52 UTC
- first quarter 17 December 2026 05:43 UTC
- full Moon 24 December 2026 01:28 UTC
- last quarter 30 December 2026 19:00 UTC
Also active, peaking in another month
Northern Taurids
Active 20 October – 10 December
- ZHR 5
- Radiant dec +22.8°
- Speed 28.2 km/s
- Best from Both hemispheres
How to use this month
A peak is an instant, not a night. What matters for you is whether the radiant is high and the sky is dark during the hours you are actually outside, which depends on your latitude and your weather — neither of which a calendar can know. Use this page to pick candidate nights, then check the verdict for your own coordinates on the day.
Activity windows this month: Quadrantids (28 December – 12 January); Northern Taurids (20 October – 10 December); Geminids (4 December – 20 December).