Meteor Activity Outlook for December 20-26, 2025

During this period, the moon’s phase will reach its new phase on Saturday December 20th. At that time, it will lie close to the sun and will be invisible at night. As the week progresses the moon will enter the evening sky as a waxing crescent but will not interfere with viewing meteor activity during the more active morning hours.

The estimated total hourly rates for evening observers this weekend should be near 4 as seen from mid-northern latitudes (45°N) and 3 as seen from tropical southern locations (25°S). For morning observers, the estimated total hourly rates should be near 16 as seen from mid-northern latitudes (45°N) and 11 as seen from tropical southern locations (25°S).

The actual rates observed will also depend on factors such as personal light and motion perception, local weather conditions, alertness, and experience in watching meteor activity. Note that the hourly rates listed below are estimates based on observations from dark-sky sites away from urban light sources. Observers viewing from urban areas will see less activity, as only the brighter meteors will be visible from such locations.

The radiant (the area of the sky from which meteors appear to originate) positions and rates listed below are exact for Saturday night/Sunday morning, December 20/21. These positions do not change greatly from day to day, so the listed coordinates may be used throughout this entire period. Most star atlases (available online, in bookstores, and at planetariums) include maps with celestial coordinate grids that can help you locate these positions in the sky.

I have also included charts of the sky that display the radiant positions for evening, midnight, and morning. The center of each chart represents the sky directly overhead at the corresponding hour. These charts are oriented for facing south but can be used for any direction by rotating them accordingly. A planisphere or planetarium app is also useful for showing the sky at any time of night on any date of the year.

Activity from each radiant is best seen when it is positioned highest in the sky (culmination), either due north or south along the meridian, depending on your latitude. Radiants that rise after midnight will not reach their highest point in the sky until daylight; therefore, it is best to view them during the last few hours of the night.

It must be remembered that meteor activity is rarely seen directly at the radiant position. Rather, meteors shoot outward from the radiant, so it is best to center your field of view so that the radiant lies near the edge rather than the center. Viewing in this way allows you to trace the path of each meteor back to the radiant (if it belongs to a shower) or in another direction if it is sporadic. Meteor activity is not visible from radiants located far below the horizon.

The positions below are listed in west-to-east order by right ascension (celestial longitude). The positions listed first are located farther west and are therefore accessible earlier in the night, while those listed farther down the list rise later.

These sources of meteoric activity are expected to be active this week

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Now that the activity from particles produced by comet 2P/Encke have ceased encountering the Earth, the Taurid showers for 2025 are over and we resume reporting activity from the Anthelion (ANT) radiant. This is not a true radiant, but rather activity caused by the Earth’s motion through space. As the Earth revolves around the sun it encounters particles orbiting in a pro-grade motion that are approaching their perihelion point. They all appear to be radiating from an area near the opposition point of the sun, hence the name Anthelion. These were once recorded as separate showers throughout the year, but it is now suggested to bin them into a category separate from true showers and sporadics. This radiant is a very large oval some thirty degrees wide by fifteen degrees high. Activity from this radiant can appear from more than one constellation. The position listed here is for the center of the radiant which is currently located at 06:48 (102) +23. This position lies in central Gemini, 2 degrees southeast of the 3rd magnitude star known as Mebsuta (epsilon Geminorum). This radiant is best placed near 01:00 local standard time (LST) when it lies on the meridian and is highest in the southern sky. Rates at this time should be near 3 per hour as seen from the northern hemisphere and 2 per hour as seen from south of the equator. With an entry velocity of 30 km/sec., the average Anthelion meteor would be of medium-slow velocity.

The Monocerotids (MON) are active from November 23 through December 24, with maximum activity occurring on December 10^th. The radiant is currently located at 07:12 (108) +07. This area of the sky lies in western Canis Minor, 5 degrees west of the zero-magnitude star known as Procyon (alpha Canis Minoris). This radiant is best placed in the southern sky near 0200 LST, when it lies highest above the northern horizon. Hourly rates should be near 1 no matter your location. With an entry velocity of 39 km/sec., most activity from this radiant would be of medium speed.

The alpha Hydrids (AHY) were discovered by Dr. Peter Brown and are mentioned in his article “A meteoroid stream survey using the Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar”. This shower is active from December 15 through January 22 with maximum activity occurring on January 4th. The radiant is currently located at 07:52 (118) -06. This position lies in eastern Monoceros, 4 degrees southwest of the 4^th magnitude star known as zeta Monocerotis. These meteors are best seen near 0200 LST when the radiant lies highest above the southern horizon. At 45 km/sec. the alpha Hydrids produce meteors of medium velocity. Expected rates this week are less than 1 per hour no matter your location.

The Geminids (GEM) are active from December 1st through December 24th, with maximum activity occurring on the night of December 13/14. The radiant is currently located at 08:08 (122) +31. This area of the sky lies in northeastern Gemini, 4 degrees northeast of the 1st magnitude star known as Pollux (beta Geminorum). This radiant is best placed in the northern sky near 0200 LST, when it lies highest above the northern horizon. Hourly rates should be near less than one no matter your location. With an entry velocity of 32 km/sec., most activity from this radiant would be of medium-slow speed.

The sigma Hydrids (HYD) are active from November 22 through December 31, with maximum activity occurring on December 7^th. The radiant is currently located at 09:08 (137) -01. This area of the sky lies in western Hydra, 3 degrees southwest of the 4^th magnitude star known as theta Hydrae. This radiant is best placed near 0300 LST, when it lies highest above the southern horizon. Rates should be near 1 no matter your location. With an entry velocity of 58 km/sec., most activity from this radiant would be swift.

The kappa Velids (KVE) were recently discovered by SAAMER (Pokorný et al., 2017), an Argentine meteor radar system. This radiant is the main radiant in an area where many minor radiants seem to be active this time of year. The KVE’s are active from December 16 through January 6 with maximum activity occurring on December 26th. The radiant is currently located at 09:12 (138) -49, which places it in central Vela, 6 degrees south of the 2^nd magnitude star known as Suhail (lambda Velorum). These meteors are best seen near 0300 LST when the radiant lies highest above the southern horizon. Current rates should be less than 1 per hour as seen from the northern hemisphere and near 1 per hour as seen from south of the equator. With an entry velocity of 43 km/sec., most activity from this radiant would be of medium speed.

The eta Hydrids (EHY) are active from November 22 through December 31, with maximum activity occurring on December 8^th. The radiant is currently located at 09:36 (144) -00. This area of the sky lies on western Hydra, 1 degree northwest of the 4^th magnitude star known as Ukdah (iota Hydrae). This radiant is best placed near 0400 LST, when it lies highest above the southern horizon. Rates should be less than 1 no matter your location. With an entry velocity of 61 km/sec., most activity from this radiant would be of appear medium-fast.

The Comae Berenicids (COM) are a long duration shower active from December 5th through February 4th. Maximum activity occurs on December 19th. The radiant is currently located at 10:52 (163) +30, which places it in eastern Leo Minor, 4 degrees south of the 4^th magnitude star known as Praecipua (46 Leonis Minoris). These meteors would be best seen near 05:00 LST, when the radiant lies highest in the southern sky. Current rates should be near 2 per hour as seen from the northern hemisphere and 1 as seen south of the equator. At 63km/sec., these meteors would produce mostly swift meteors.

The December chi Virginids (XVI) are active from October 26 to December 30 with maximum activity occurring on December 14^th. The radiant is currently located at 13:04 (196) -13. This position lies in southern Virgo, 3 degrees southwest of the 1^st magnitude star known as Spica (alpha Virginis). The radiant is best placed in the eastern sky during the last hour before morning twilight when the radiant lies highest in a dark sky. Current rates are expected to be less than 1 per hour no matter your location. With an entry velocity of 68 km/sec., most activity from this radiant would possess a swift speed.

The December sigma Virginids (DSV) are active from November 26 to January 24 with maximum activity occurring on December 23rd. The radiant is currently located at 13:48 (207) +05. This position lies in northern Virgo, 3 degrees northwest of the 4th magnitude star known as tau Virginis. The radiant is best placed in the eastern sky during the last hour before morning twilight when the radiant lies highest in a dark sky. Current rates are expected to be less than 1 per hour no matter your location. With an entry velocity of 66 km/sec., most activity from this radiant would be of swift speed.

The Ursids (URS) are active from a radiant located at 14:36 (219) +75. This area of the sky is located in southern Ursa Minor, 1 degree northwest of the 2nd magnitude star known as Kochab (beta Ursae Minoris). The Ursids are active from December 13-24, with maximum activity occurring on the 22^nd. Current rates are expected to be less than 1 per hour no matter your location. These meteors are best seen in the last few hours before dawn when the radiant lies highest in the northern sky. At 36km/sec., these meteors are of medium velocity. Due to the high northern location, these meteors are not visible from the southern hemisphere.

Sporadic meteors are those that cannot be associated with any known meteor shower. All meteor showers evolve and disperse over time until they are no longer recognizable. Away from the peaks of major annual showers, these sporadic meteors make up the bulk of the activity seen each night.

As seen from the mid-northern hemisphere (45°N), one would expect to see approximately 11 sporadic meteors per hour during the last hour before dawn, from rural observing sites. Evening rates would be near 3 per hour. From tropical southern latitudes (25°S), morning rates would be around 9 per hour and 2 per hour during the evening. Locations between these two extremes would experience activity between these figures.

The list below provides information in tabular form on the active showers that are within reach of the visual observer to discern. Hourly rates are often less than one, so these sources are rarely listed as visual targets in most meteor shower catalogs. If you, like me, wish to associate as many meteors as possible with known sources, you will appreciate these listings.

Before claiming to have observed meteors from these Class IV showers, you should determine whether they truly belong to them and are not chance alignments of sporadic meteors. Note parameters such as duration, length, radiant distance, and elevation of each meteor to help compute the probability of shower association.

It should be remembered that slow meteors can appear in fast showers, but fast meteors cannot be produced by slow showers. Slower showers are those with velocities less than 35 km/sec. Slow meteors can appear from fast showers when they occur close to the radiant or low in the sky.

The table located on page 22 of the IMO’s 2025 Meteor Shower Calendar is a helpful tool for identifying meteors. If you record the length and duration of each meteor, you can use this chart to check the probability of the meteor belonging to a shower of known velocity. If the angular velocity matches the figure in the table, your meteor probably belongs to that shower.

Recognizing meteors from obscure showers is not for beginning meteor observers—it takes many hours of practice to develop an instinct for what you’re seeing. It is our hope that you will move beyond simply watching meteors as a celestial fireworks display and help expand our knowledge of these heavenly visitors by classifying each meteor you observe.

Rates and positions in the table are exact for Saturday night/Sunday morning December 20/21.

You can keep track of the activity of these meteor showers as well as those beyond the limits of visual observing by visiting the NASA Meteor Shower Portal. You can move the sky globe to see different areas of the sky. Colored dots indicate shower meteors while white dots indicate sporadic (random) activity. The large orange disk indicates the position of the sun so little activity will be seen in that area of the sky.

Class Explanation: A scale to group meteor showers by their intensity:

• Class I: the strongest annual showers with Zenith Hourly Rates normally ten or better.
• Class II: reliable minor showers with ZHR’s normally two to ten.
• Class III: showers that do not provide annual activity. These showers are rarely active yet have the potential to produce a major display on occasion.
• Class IV: weak minor showers with ZHR’s rarely exceeding two. The study of these showers is best left to experienced observers who use plotting and angular velocity estimates to determine shower association. These weak showers are also good targets for video and photographic work. Observers with less experience are urged to limit their shower associations to showers with a rating of I to III.
  

Tags: Alpha Hydrids Anthelion Meteors Comae Berenicids December Chi Virginids December Meteor Activity December Meteor Showers December Sigma Virginids Eta Hydrids Geminids kappa Velids Meteors Monocerotids Sigma Hydrids Ursids

Robert Lunsford

Bob has been interested in the stars as far back as he can recall His first experience with meteors was a biggie, the 1966 Leonid shower. In 1980, a major awaking occurred. He received a sample copy of Meteor News. He was amazed to learn there was a group actually devoted strictly to meteor observing! He joined the group also started to view some of the minor showers list among the pages of Meteor News. Lastly, he was contracted by Springer Publishing in 2007 to write a book on observing meteors. The book is now available and hopefully will be a useful guide to all interested in the enjoyable field of meteor observing.