Geminids 2027

The peak falls on Tuesday 14 December 2027 at 20:02 UTC, with the Moon 98% lit — a bright sky — a near-full Moon will leave only the brightest meteors visible.

Peak instant
Moon at peak
98% lit, full Moon
Active
3 December 2027 – 20 December 2027
Zenithal hourly rate
150
Radiant declination
+32.3°
Rank for Moon in 2027
11 of 12

What 2027 actually offers

Of the twelve showers on this site, 10 peak under a darker Moon in 2027. The darkest peak of the year belongs to the eta-Aquariids, with the Moon 0% lit. Moonlight does not remove meteors, it removes the faint ones: with a population index of 2.6, every magnitude of extra sky brightness divides the count you see by 2.6.

The radiant passes overhead at 32.3°N and never rises at all south of 57.7°S. That geometry does not change from year to year, so if this shower does not work from your latitude, no amount of moonless sky will fix it — check the latitude table before making plans around the date.

What is not knowable this far out is cloud. Numerical forecasts are useful inside about three days and steadily less so beyond that, which is why the verdict for a specific night is computed on the night from your own coordinates rather than published in advance.

The Moon across the whole activity window

Moon illumination during the Geminids activity window in 2027 Percentage of the Moon's disc illuminated, sampled twice a day from 3 December 2027 to 20 December 2027. The dashed line marks the shower's peak on 14 December 2027, when the Moon is 98% lit. 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% peak 3 Dec 7 Dec 10 Dec 13 Dec 17 Dec 20 Dec Moon lit (%)
Illuminated fraction of the Moon through the 4 December – 20 December activity window. A dip well away from the peak is a night the shower is still active and the sky is still dark — often a better trade than the peak itself.

The week around the peak

Moon illumination on each date at 00:00 UTC. Rate falls away either side of the peak, so a much darker sky two nights out is only worth taking when the activity window is broad — this one runs 4 December – 20 December.

Date Weekday Moon lit Phase
11 December 2027 Saturday 91% waxing gibbous
12 December 2027 Sunday 96% full Moon
13 December 2027 Monday 99% full Moon
14 December 2027 peak Tuesday 100% full Moon
15 December 2027 Wednesday 98% full Moon
16 December 2027 Thursday 93% waning gibbous
17 December 2027 Friday 85% waning gibbous

Get reminded before the 2027 peak

One email seven days before a peak so you can keep the night free, and one on the evening itself with the verdict for your location. If your sky is going to be hopeless that night, the second email tells you the next good night instead of pretending otherwise.

You will get a confirmation email first — nothing is sent until you click the link in it. Every email carries a one-click unsubscribe. We store your address, the rounded coordinates and your time zone, and nothing else. See the privacy notice.

Keep going