Astro-Observer

Meteor showers

Gamma Ursae Minorid Meteor Shower

By Astro-Observer · Last reviewed November 8, 2026

Active
January 10 – January 22
Peak
Around January 18
Peak rate (ZHR)
3
Radiant
Ursa Minor (15h 12m, +67°)
Speed
31 km/s (medium)
Best seen from
Northern Hemisphere
Best time
All night, best in the hours before dawn

Next peaks

Expected peak (UTC)Moon at peakMoonlight
January 18, 2027, around 17h Waxing gibbous, 80% lit Bright Moon
January 18, 2028, around 23h Last quarter, 48% lit Some

Computed from the shower's peak solar longitude (λ☉ 298°). Real peaks can come a few hours early or late, and you will see meteors on the nights either side. The peak hour may be in daylight where you are; watch the darkest hours of the nearest night.

The Gamma Ursae Minorids are a small mid-January shower with a radiant near the Little Dipper. They are weak: even at the peak, expect one or two meteors an hour from a dark site.

Where the meteors come from

No parent comet or asteroid is known. The IAU Meteor Data Center lists none, and IMO treats all of the shower's parameters as tentative.

When to watch

The shower runs from about January 10 to 22, with a weak maximum around January 18. The table above shows the expected peak and the Moon. From mid-northern latitudes the radiant never sets. It is lowest in the north in the evening and climbs through the night, so the hours before dawn are best.

How to find the radiant

Follow the two stars at the end of the Big Dipper's bowl to Polaris, the tip of the Little Dipper's handle. The brightest stars of the Little Dipper's bowl are Kochab and Pherkad; Pherkad is Gamma Ursae Minoris, which gives the shower its name. The radiant lies about 5 degrees south of Pherkad. From about 40°N it is never lower than about 17 degrees above the northern horizon, and it reaches about 60 degrees by dawn. Face north and look high. From the Southern Hemisphere it is too low, or below the horizon.

What to expect

IMO gives a ZHR of about 3. With the radiant high before dawn, that means one or two meteors an hour from a dark rural site and probably none from the suburbs. At 31 km/s these are medium-speed meteors at the slow end of the range, and IMO expects them to look like the Ursids of December. A population index of 3.0 means most are faint.

Viewing tips

  • Dress for a long, cold January night.
  • Pick a site with a dark northern sky.
  • Trace each meteor back; shower members point to an area about 5 degrees from Pherkad, on the side away from Polaris.
  • Keep a count and send it to IMO, since all data on this shower still need confirmation.

History and notable displays

The shower was found in video and visual data only recently. IMO added it to its working list from 2017 onward, and it has been observed every year since. It is a minor shower mainly followed by experienced observers and video networks.

About the numbers. The ZHR (zenithal hourly rate) is how many meteors one observer would see in an hour under a perfectly dark sky with the radiant straight overhead. Real counts are almost always lower: under suburban skies, or with the radiant low, expect a half to a quarter of it, or less.

Sources

Checked November 8, 2026.