Ursid meteor shower 2026
The Ursids peak on Wednesday, December 23, 2026, with up to 10 meteors an hour under a dark sky. On the peak night the Moon is 98% lit, and the meteors seem to come from Ursa Minor.
At a glance
- Next peak
- Wednesday, December 23, 2026
- Meteors an hour
- Up to 10
- Radiant
- Ursa Minor
- Parent
- comet 8P/Tuttle
- Moon on the peak night
- 98% lit, waxing gibbous Moon
Where to look
The Ursids seem to come from a point in Ursa Minor, called the radiant. You don't need to look straight at it: meteors can appear anywhere in the sky, and the higher the radiant, the more you see. Times are local solar time on the peak night. Your clock can differ by an hour or more, for example in summer time.
| From | Radiant rises | Highest | Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40° north | Always up | 8:20 AM | 54° |
| 35° south | Never rises | Below the horizon | -20° |
The Ursids in the next years
The peak day can shift by about a day from year to year. The Moon figures are for midnight in Al Ahmadi on the peak night.
| Peak | Moon | Moon lit |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, December 23, 2026 | waxing gibbous Moon | 98% |
| Thursday, December 23, 2027 | waning crescent Moon | 24% |
| Friday, December 22, 2028 | waxing crescent Moon | 40% |
| Saturday, December 22, 2029 | waning gibbous Moon | 96% |
| Monday, December 23, 2030 | waning crescent Moon | 5% |
Where the Ursids come from
The Ursids are dust from comet 8P/Tuttle. Every year Earth passes through its trail, and the grains burn up high in the atmosphere as meteors.
Keep the night of the Ursids
Put the sky above Al Ahmadi on the night of the December 23, 2026 peak on a star map. You can change the place, the date and the words in the editor.
Questions about the Ursids
The Ursids peak on Wednesday, December 23, 2026. The peak day can shift by about a day from year to year, so the nights just before and after are worth a look too.
Up to about 10 at the peak, under a perfectly dark sky with the radiant overhead. From most places you see fewer, especially with the Moon up.
Anywhere in the sky. The meteors seem to come from Ursa Minor, but they cross the whole sky, so look at a wide dark patch away from the Moon.
Hardly. From 35° south the radiant never rises, so few if any Ursids reach the sky there.
On the 2026 peak night the Moon is 98% lit. Its bright light hides many of the fainter meteors, so watch while it is low or down.
The Ursids are dust from comet 8P/Tuttle. Every year Earth passes through its trail, and the grains burn up high in the atmosphere.
Other meteor showers
More of the night sky
- Upcoming eclipsesEvery lunar and solar eclipse of the next 10 years.
- Night sky tonightThe Moon, the planets you can see and the time it gets dark in your city.
- Night sky on any dateThe Moon, the planets and the stars above any place, from 1900 to 2100.
- Moon phase on your birthdayThe phase and the shape of the Moon on the day you were born.