Sky watchers: Do not miss the Geminid meteor shower this year. This annual collision of the trail of asteroid 3200 Phaetho and the Earth’s atmosphere will provide a show for anyone who looks skyward at night from now until Christmas Eve.
The peak of the Geminids will occur in mid-December, and viewing conditions will be close to perfect this year. Since the new moon rises on December 12, the sky will be extra dark during the Geminid peak, meaning you might be able to see as many as 50 shooting stars per hour.
When and where to see the Geminid meteor shower
The Geminid meteor shower has been visible since mid-November, and it will continue until Christmas, but the peak of the shower is likely to be on December 13 or 14. Shooting stars should be visible around 9 or 10 p.m. local time, but if you stick around until much later, the show will get better. As the night progresses, the radiant point of the shower will appear to climb higher into the sky, and you should see a ton of fast moving, yellow meteors. The best time for viewing will likely be around 2 a.m. local time.
As you might expect from the name, the meteors of the Geminid shower seem to originate from the constellation Gemini. The easiest way to find Gemini is to locate Orion’s Belt. Follow the line from Orion’s right foot (that’s Rigel, the brightest star in the constellation), through the belt, and up towards Betelgeuse (Orion’s left shoulder). Keep following that line to Castor and Pollux, the main stars in Gemini. (You could also make this much easier by downloading a constellation-finding app like Star Walk 2.) Don’t sweat the direction too much, though. These meteors will likely be visible all over the sky.
For the best meteor spotting results, go to an area with a wide, unobstructed view of the sky and as little light pollution as possible. Give your eyes about a half hour to fully adjust to the dark, look toward Gemini, and wait.
Geminid Meteor Shower watching starter kit
All you’ll need is your eyes to check out the shooting stars during the Geminid meteor shower, but if you want to make the experience better, here are some meteor-peeping accessories.
Asteroid 3200 Phaethon: a space oddity
Widely regarded as the most impressive meteor shower of the year, the Geminids are unique because they are the result of an asteroid instead of a comet. The celestial father of Geminid shooting stars is 3200 Paethon, an asteroid that acts like a comet. Comets are made of ice and asteroids are made of rock, so most asteroids don’t have tails and don’t leave behind a trail of debris that causes shooting stars. But 3200 Phaethon has a tail that scientists believe is sodium gas.
That doesn’t explain where the material that creates the Geminid meteors comes from, though. There isn’t a solid answer for why the asteroid left so much material in its wake, but scientists speculate that a “disruptive event” a few thousand years ago could have caused the asteroid to break apart and eject the billions of tons of floating debris that make up the Geminids.
