Is there a meteor showre tonight? The Geminids, the northern hemisphere’s most spectacular meteor shower of the year, has begun — and there are some good reasons why you should see them as soon as you can.
Everyone’s heard of the Perseids in August, but the year’s most reliable annual meteor shower is December’s Geminids, which run from Nov. 19 through Dec. 24, peaking overnight on Dec. 13 through Dec. 14.
The maximum number of “shooting stars” per hour it’s possible to see on peak night is 120, making the Geminid meteor shower the strongest of the year, but with a full moon on Dec. 15, there will a bright moon-bleached sky during the peak.
Here’s everything you need to know about 2024’s Geminid meteor shower.
Geminid Meteor Shower 2024: When Is It?
The Geminids are named after the constellation Gemini because that’s where its shooting stars appear to come from. Astronomers call it the radiant point.
In 2024 the Geminid meteor shower will last for six weeks and peak during the late evening/early morning hours of Dec. 13-14. It’s been visible since the mid-19th century.
It’s the most prolific of all the meteor showers in the calendar, with up to 120 shooting stars potentially visible each hour around the peak. Geminids can appear in the night sky as bright streaks of mostly yellow, but also white and, if you’re lucky, even green. They move at a pedestrian 21 miles (34 kilometers) per second), according to the American Meteor Society.
Geminid Meteor Shower 2024: Causes
All shooting stars are caused by meteoroids striking the Earth’s atmosphere. As they do, they energize and heat up, releasing that energy as light.
The Geminids are a unique meteor shower in the annual calendar because the source of the meteoroids is an asteroid rather than a comet. The meteorites that become shooting stars when they strike Earth’s atmosphere were left in the solar system by asteroid 3200 Phaethon, which orbits the sun every 1.4 Earth years. After its discovery in 1983, it was noticed that Phaethon’s orbit matched that of the Geminid debris trail around the sun.
According to NASA, Phaethon nevertheless behaves like a comet, brightening and forming a sodium gas tail when it’s near the sun. That’s because its surface gets so hot that sodium inside Phaethon’s rock likely vaporizes into space.
Geminid Meteor Shower 2024: Details
How can you see a shooting star during the Geminid Meteor Shower 2024? Look vaguely the southeastern sky after dark from 22:00 during the first week of December and again from Dec. 22. Although the moon will be too bright between First Quarter (Dec. 8) and Third Quarter (Dec. 22), this is the one major shower of the year that provides good activity before midnight, according to the International Meteor Organization, because the radiant point in Gemini will be high in the sky.
From the southern hemisphere, the Geminids are not such a big deal. They are sometimes visible, but since Gemini is low in the northeastern night sky, the rates of shooting stars are lower and they occur after midnight.
Geminid Meteor Shower 2024: How To Watch
To see any shooting stars during the Geminid meteor shower you will need a cloud-free sky. If that happens, it will likely be a cold night, so wrap up warm and take regular breaks. Have a hot drink nearby and don’t stay outside for more than an hour at a time.
An observing location away from light pollution is ideal, but failing that, keep any lights out of your eyes. That includes white light from the screen of a smartphone and any other devices.
The times and dates given apply to mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location-specific information, consult online planetariums like Stellarium.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
