How to Watch a Meteor Shower

The next shower are the Geminids, a busy and bright shower that peaks in mid-December, offering the chance to see hundreds of shooting stars each hour. This is just one of nine major meteor showers that grace skies throughout the year, and details of when they will appear in the northern hemisphere are listed below—so mark your 2026 calendar for these.

You don’t need any special equipment to see a meteor shower—in fact, using devices like binoculars or telescopes actually prevents you from seeing meteors, because they travel too fast to be seen through the lenses of such equipment. All you need are your eyes, a dark sky with little to no moonlight, and a location that’s away from excess light, as moonlight and light pollution can wash out shooting stars.

Note that the moon appears (rises) and disappears (sets) in the night sky at different ...