Bundle up and look up! The annual Geminid meteor shower is upon us

Baby, it’s cold outside — but it’s worth putting on that heavy winter coat, scarf and boots and heading out for one of the best meteor showers of the year: the Geminids.

The Geminid shower began on December 4 and peaked on the night of December 13–14.

What makes this meteor shower so great is that, under ideal conditions, it can produce up to 150 meteors an hour – and this year, if the weather cooperates, there will be a particularly good view.

“They’re going to be amazing on many levels,” said Peter Brown, Canada Research Chair in Meteor Astronomy and professor at Western University in London, Ontario.

“The good thing this year is that the peak is on the night of the 13th, morning of the 14th – Saturday, Sunday. So, very convenient.”

Unlike last year, when the moon was nearly full and its light washed out faint meteors, this year the moon will be a waning crescent and will rise early in the morning (depending on where you are, this could be anywhere from 1:30 a.m. to 3:30 a.m.), meaning it won’t interfere with your viewing pleasure.

One great thing about the Geminids is that they produce fireballs, extremely bright meteors that can be seen from a city. But temper your expectations about how many people you’ll see if you’re in urban areas, where numbers will be a dozen or more an hour.

On the other hand, if you reach a location with a dark sky, you will be able to see faint meteors that have been obscured by light pollution.

early evening viewing

Another special thing about this shower is that it starts relatively early every evening.

Most meteor showers take their names from the constellation in which the meteorites appear to originate, called the Radiant. Imagine looking up at a Geminid meteor: If you draw a line to where it started, it will be in Gemini.

Gemini rises early in the east, which means you can start your meteor watching early in the evening. Compare this with, say, the Perseids each August, when peak viewing time is typically in the early morning.

And when the moon rises at zenith night, the brightness will be high in the sky (when it’s directly overhead, we say it’s at zenith), which is ideal for viewing meteor showers.

lunar effect

We see meteor showers on Earth when comets or asteroids release small particles as they approach the Sun. Once a year, Earth passes through debris that burns up in our atmosphere and appears as lines of light in the sky.

Asteroid 3200 Phaethon is responsible for the Geminids’ beautiful and reliable light show.

This interactive map shows how Earth passes through the asteroid debris:

But this shower has an even greater impact on our nearest celestial neighbor.

Unlike Earth, the Moon has very little atmosphere, so when it crosses the path of comet or asteroid debris, there’s nothing to stop the fragments from hitting the lunar surface. There, they may leave a crater, but the size depends on the size of the debris.

When it comes to lunar influences, Brown says, “The Geminids are the granddaddy of all showers.”

“There’s a campaign going on by NASA and the (European Space Agency) and some others to monitor (unexposed parts of) the moon to really find out how many Geminids, big Geminids, hit the moon,” he said.

“…Many times people have been monitoring the moon and they’ve seen an impact every 20 minutes, which is crazy.”

Look Two meteorites hit the Moon:

This is especially important as humans prepare to return to the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis program.

nice window to see

If it’s cloudy the night of Dec. 13-14, you’ll have other chances to see the Geminids, Brown said.

“This year it’s worth thinking about going out on a Sunday night, the 14th to the 15th. Rates will still be pretty good,” he said. This is because the moon will be less illuminated and will rise late.

And, of course, you can always look at the nights before the peak of the bath.

Some final tips: Try to sit in a comfortable chair if possible, as your neck may start to hurt after a while. Find a spot as dark as you can, and stay away from your phone – you want your eyes to adapt to the dark.

And finally, remember: Be patient. You will not be disappointed.