Viewing Guide for the Geminid Meteor Shower 2025
The Geminid meteor shower returns this December with near-perfect viewing conditions. If you’re a skywatcher like we are at thespacestore.com, this is a great chance to witness up to 120 meteors per hour streaking across the night sky. You don’t have to be an experienced stargazer to catch an unforgettable experience.
The Geminids seem to be intensifying over time, so we might have a better view next time, but that’s no reason to skip 2025’s shower. Meteor counts have been steadily increasing since the shower’s discovery in the mid-1800s. Today’s rates of 120+ meteors per hour make the Geminids arguably the strongest annual shower.
The Geminid meteor shower will reach its peak during the overnight hours of Saturday, December 13, into the morning of Sunday, December 14, 2025.
According to NASA, the predicted peak occurs at 3 UTC on December 14 (9 p.m. CST on December 13), but the shower’s broad maximum means there will be plenty of excellent viewing opportunity if you can’t make it in time.
Unlike some meteor showers, the Geminids maintain rates exceeding 100 meteors per hour for approximately 10-12 hours around peak.
The shower is going to remain active from December 4 through December 20, so if weather doesn’t cooperate on peak night, you can still probably see the Geminids on either side of the peak by at least a few days. That said, rates on the night before peak (December 12-13) are about half the maximum, and they’ll drop to roughly one-quarter after peak night. Interestingly, any meteors visible after peak tend to be decidedly brighter since larger particles trail behind smaller meteoroids in the debris stream.
The 2025 Geminid display is special because it benefits from particularly favorable lunar conditions. The last quarter moon occurs on December 11 at 20:52 UTC, so only a waning crescent moon will be present during the shower’s peak. The slim crescent won’t rise until several hours after midnight on December 14. That means hours of dark, moonless skies.
Even a half-moon can wash out fainter meteors, but observers at dark-sky sites can expect to approach the theoretical maximum of 120 meteors per hour, making this one of the best Geminid displays in recent years.
It’s also worth adding that Jupiter will shine prominently near the Geminids’ radiant point in the constellation Gemini. I typically need an app like Stellarium Mobile or SkySafari to help orient myself, but if you know your celestial objects, Jupiter will be sort of a cosmic signpost to help you find the Geminids’ source region.
The Geminids favor northern latitudes, and the radiant point rises in the eastern sky during mid-to-late evening. It will climb highest around 2 a.m. local time. This means you can start watching as early as 9-10 p.m. when the radiant appears above the horizon, with activity building throughout the night.
While the Geminids are visible from southern latitudes, rates will be reduced compared to northern locations because the radiant doesn’t climb as high in the sky. The best viewing window in the southern hemisphere occurs from local midnight through the pre-dawn hours of December 14, with peak activity around 2 a.m. local time.
It’s actually fairly rare for a meteor shower to offer good viewing before midnight, so if you’re interested in checking out the Geminids, this is a great time to start stargazing.
Wherever you’re planning to watch from, the single most important factor in meteor watching success is escaping light pollution. A dark-sky site away from city lights can mean the difference between seeing a handful of meteors versus dozens per hour. Try to find a (public!) rural area, or private land far from light pollution if you own property or have an invite out in the country.
And of course, make the most of your stargazing by bringing the right equipment. Check out thespacestore.com’s world-class selection of binoculars and telescopes and find the right tool for the job and your budget.
-Written by Matt Herr