Christchurch, New Zealand
Geminids 2026 from Christchurch
The Geminids peak on the night of Sunday, December 13. From Christchurch the best time to watch is around 3:27 AM, when the radiant is low in the north. Under a dark sky that means up to about 35 meteors an hour. From inside the city you will see far fewer.
The night at a glance
- Gets dark
- 10:27 PM
- Radiant rises
- 11:57 PM
- Best time
- 3:27 AM
- Light again
- 4:19 AM
- Moon
- 17% lit, sets around 12:07 AM
Times are local to Christchurch, worked out for the city centre. Dark means the sun is 12 degrees below the horizon.
Where to look
Meteors can appear anywhere in the sky. They streak away from the radiant, which sits low in the north at its best. Face that way but keep your gaze wide. Give your eyes twenty minutes to adjust and keep your phone in your pocket. The darker your spot, the more you will see.
About the Geminids
The Geminids are active from early to mid December. The meteors are debris from asteroid 3200 Phaethon and hit the atmosphere at about 35 km per second. At the peak, a perfectly dark sky with the radiant overhead would show about 150 an hour. Real counts are lower.