Geminids Meteor Shower Is Your Best Chance To Catch A Shooting Star
As one last big hurrah for the year, the celestial display of the Geminids meteor shower is expected to dazzle us with some celestial fireworks, as long as you're in the right viewing spot and weather conditions, of course.
Skygazers in the Northern Hemisphere can look forward the peak of the Geminids shower on the night of the 13th (tomorrow), widely regarded as the strongest and most reliable of its type. At its zenith, patient viewers have the opportunity to see up to 120 meteors streak across the sky per hour under ideal conditions. Part of the reason why Geminids are so beloved is due to their bright, yellow hue and remarkable speed.. While the activity period technically spans through mid-December, the peak viewing window tomorrow can sometimes deliver 40 to 50 meteors per hour.
Skygazers in the Northern Hemisphere can look forward the peak of the Geminids shower on the night of the 13th (tomorrow), widely regarded as the strongest and most reliable of its type. At its zenith, patient viewers have the opportunity to see up to 120 meteors streak across the sky per hour under ideal conditions. Part of the reason why Geminids are so beloved is due to their bright, yellow hue and remarkable speed.. While the activity period technically spans through mid-December, the peak viewing window tomorrow can sometimes deliver 40 to 50 meteors per hour.
While most major meteor showers originate from the icy tails of comets, the Geminids are born from the remnants of an asteroid, i.e. the three-mile-wide rock known as 3200 Phaethon. As Phaethon completes its orbit around the sun every 1.4 years, solar heat causes bits and pieces of rock to crumble, forming the stream of debris that Earth intercepts each December. When these fragments of rock and dust strike our atmosphere at speed, they burn up 50 to 70 miles above the ground, creating the brilliant shooting stars that observers cherish.
For those planning to watch the shower, proper preparation is key for the best experience. Best viewed during the night and pre-dawn hours, with the peak activity often starting as early as 9 or 10 p.m. local time as the radiant point (near the Gemini constellation) rises high in the sky. As we've said many times before: the essential rule for successful viewing is simple: get away from the city. Light pollution is the single greatest obstacle to seeing the dimmer meteors and fireballs.
It's also highly advisable for viewers to bundle up warmly, bring a sleeping bag or a reclining lawn chair, and find a comfortable spot to lie flat on their back, taking in as much of the sky as possible. Crucially, observers must be patient. It takes approximately 15 to 30 minutes for human eyes to become fully dark-adapted, so in that time please refrain from using your phones or turning on lights. Observers should focus on the tell-tale sign of a meteor—a fleeting streak that moves against the background of stationary stars.
