Ursids 2026

Peak night: December 22, 2026 · Moon: 95% illuminated

The Ursids are active Dec 17 – Dec 26, radiating from Ursa Minor, with up to ~10 meteors/hour under a perfect dark sky at peak. They are debris from comet 8P/Tuttle.

In 2026, the moon is 95% illuminated on the peak night: a poor year: a bright moon will wash out all but the brightest meteors.

How to watch

  • No telescope, no binoculars, meteors are a naked-eye show. Bring a reclining chair and 30 minutes of patience for your eyes to adapt.
  • The later the better: radiants climb after midnight, and rates climb with them.
  • Darkness matters more than anything else. A Bortle 2 sky shows several times more meteors than a suburban one.

Where to watch from

The darkest measured skies in our directory, any of these turns a good shower into a memorable one. Each guide lists places to stay nearby, rated for the darkness at the hotel itself, so you can watch until the rates peak and sleep five minutes later: