You Don’t Want to Miss This Year’s Geminid Meteor Shower

There’s no better way to close out the year than with an awe-inspiring display of fireballs streaking across the sky. The Geminids are set to peak during this weekend under perfect conditions, giving sky-watchers a chance to marvel at up to 100 meteors an hour.

The annual Geminid meteor shower should peak on Saturday night and continue onto early morning on Sunday while remaining visible until December 20. This year, the prospects of viewing bright streaks of light are high with the Moon being in a waning crescent phase. That means Earth’s natural satellite will not hamper your viewing opportunities of the shower.

How to watch the Geminids

The Geminids is considered one of the best and most reliable meteor showers, well worth venturing out in the cold December nights. Meteor showers peak when their radiant point, the area in the sky where they appear to originate, is at its highest in the night skies.

This year, the Geminid meteor shower is expected to peak around 3 a.m. ET on Sunday, according to Sky & Telescope. It is, however, worth watching out for its bright streaks on Saturday and Sunday night. During that time, the Moon will be at a 26% illuminated waning crescent. “Its modest glare has little impact on the year’s richest meteor event,†Bob King, Sky & Telescope’s contributing editor, said in a statement.

The Geminid’s radiant point is near the star Castor in the Gemini constellation. For sky watchers in North America, the radiant point will be above the eastern horizon by 9 p.m. ET on Saturday and will be at its highest point by 2 a.m. ET. The later you can stay out and marvel at the sky, the better chance you have at seeing more meteors.

It’s best to observe the meteor shower away from light pollution and situated against the backdrop of a clear, dark sky. Geminids appear anywhere in the sky; all you’ve got to do is look up.

The origin of the Geminids

Meteor showers are the leftover bits that have fallen off of comets and asteroids. As these objects travel close to the Sun, they leave a trail of dust and other debris behind. When Earth passes through that dusty trail, the debris interacts with the planet’s atmosphere to create the fiery streaks.

Although most meteor showers originate from comets, the Geminids are the broken-off bits of an asteroid known as 3200 Phaethon. The small asteroid has a highly elliptical orbit around the Sun, completing one full trip in 1.4 years.

Scientists are not entirely sure how Phaethon produces the annual Geminid meteor shower, with bits and pieces that are much more dense than the ones that break off from comets. Some research has suggested that as the asteroid approaches the Sun, the radiation from the star vaporizes the sodium from its surface to produce a tail of gas.