Accelerating toward Earth, meteors from the Geminid meteor shower streak across the sky above … [+]
Is there a meteor shower tonight? Gemini, the northern hemisphere’s most spectacular meteor shower of the year, has begun — and there are some good reasons why you should see it as soon as possible.
Everyone has heard of the Perseids in August, but the most reliable annual meteor shower of the year is December’s Geminids, which run from November 19th to December 24th and peak during the night of December 13th to 14th.
The maximum number of “shooting stars” per hour we can see on the peak night is 120, making the Geminid meteor shower the strongest of the year, but with a full moon on December 15, there will be a bright moon-bleached sky during the peak.
Here’s everything you need to know about the 2024 Geminid meteor shower.
Geminid Meteor Shower 2024: When is it?
Gemini gets its name from the constellation Gemini because that’s where its shooting stars seem to come from. Astronomers call it the radiant spot.
In 2024 the Geminid meteor shower will last six weeks and peak in the late evening/morning hours of December 13-14. It is visible from the middle of the 19th century.
It is the most prolific of all the meteor showers on the calendar, with up to 120 shooting stars potentially visible every hour around the peak. Gemini 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.
Asteroid 3200 Phaethon completes an orbit around the Sun every 1.4 years. His way is high … [+]
Geminid Meteor Shower 2024: Causes
All shooting stars are caused by meteors hitting Earth’s atmosphere. As they do so, they are energized and heated, releasing this energy as light.
Gemini is a unique meteor shower in the annual calendar because the source of the meteors is an asteroid rather than a comet. Meteorites that become shooting stars when they hit Earth’s atmosphere were left in the solar system by the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, which orbits the sun every 1.4 Earth years. After its discovery in 1983, Phaethon’s orbit was observed to match that of the Gemini debris trail around the sun.
According to NASAHowever, Phaethon behaves like a comet, brightening and forming a tail of sodium gas when it is near the sun. That’s because its surface gets so hot that the sodium inside Phaethon’s rock likely evaporates into space.
Geminid meteors can appear anywhere in the late night sky. But if you follow their ways … [+]
Geminid Meteor Shower 2024: Details
How can you see a shooting star during the Geminid Meteor Shower 2024? Look vaguely in the southeastern sky after dark from 10pm during the first week of December and again from 22nd December. the one major shower of the year that provides good activity before midnight, according to the International Meteor Organizationfor the radiant point in Gemini will be high in the sky.
From the southern hemisphere, Gemini isn’t such a big deal. They are sometimes visible, but because Gemini is low in the northeastern night sky, shooting star rates are lower and appear after midnight.
Geminid Meteor Shower 2024: How To Watch
To see any shooting stars during the Geminid meteor shower you will need a clear sky. If this happens, it will probably be a cold night, so keep warm and take regular breaks. Have a hot drink nearby and don’t stay out for more than an hour at a time.
An observation location away from light pollution is ideal, but otherwise, keep lights out of your eyes. This includes white light from the screen of a smartphone and any other device.
The times and dates given are for mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location information, consult online planetariums such as Stellarium.
I wish you clear skies and open eyes.
