If you’re looking for a fantastic light show, all you need to do is see the sky. Because, the Geminid meteor shower is visible worldwide on the night of December 13 and early morning hours of December 14.
The Geminids are unique not just in quantity but also birthplace. Most meteor showers come from comets, roiling cauldrons of gas, dust, ice and rock that have glowing heads and tails.
According to NASA, Geminids appear as the Earth crosses the path of an inactive chunk of rock in space that doesn’t shed debris. The rock has been named 3200 Phaethon.
One of the best meteor showers of the year is now visible. The Geminid Meteor Shower can be seen on clear nights now through Saturday night, but the best chance of seeing meteors will be Tuesday and Wednesday nights and (Wednesday and Thursday mornings) . The meteors are best seen after 10PM until about 4AM (EST).
About the Geminid Shower
The Geminids are active every December, when Earth passes through a massive trail of dusty debris shed by a weird, rocky object named 3200 Phaethon. The dust and grit burn up when they run into Earth’s atmosphere in a flurry of “shooting stars.”
“Phaethon’s nature is debated,” said Cooke. “It’s either a near-Earth asteroid or an extinct comet, sometimes called a rock comet.”
As an added bonus this year, astronomers will have a chance to study Phaethon up close in mid-December, when it passes nearest to Earth since its discovery in 1983.
Meteor showers are named after the location of the radiant, usually a star or constellation close to where they appear in the night sky. The Geminid radiant is in the constellation Gemini.
The Geminids can be seen with the naked eye under clear, dark skies over most of the world, though the best view is from the Northern Hemisphere. Observers will see fewer Geminids in the Southern Hemisphere, where the radiant doesn’t climb very high over the horizon.
Observing the Geminids
Skywatching is easy. Just get away from bright lights and look up in any direction! Give your eyes time to adjust to the dark. Meteors appear all over the sky.
Not all the meteors you might see belong to the Geminid shower, however. Some might be sporadic background meteors, and some might be from weaker, active showers like the Monocerotids, Sigma Hydrids and the Comae Berenicids.
“When you see a meteor, try to trace it backwards,” said Cooke. “If you end up in the constellation Gemini there’s a good chance you’ve seen a Geminid.”
News Source: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/news/news/releases/2017/heads-up-earthlings-the-geminids-are-here.html
