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In addition to the upcoming Jupiter-Saturn conjunction, this month’s sky watchers will also be able to enjoy the Geminid meteor shower, which is considered one of the best showers of the year.
Geminids are expected to peak on the night of December 13-14 (Sunday night until dawn Monday), according to EarthSky.
“You should also see a good meteor splash on previous nights. And you could catch a geminid meteor any time this week as the rain peaks,” said Bruce McLure of EarthSky.
During its peak, 120 geminid meteors can be seen per hour under perfect conditions, NASA said. Geminids are bright, fast meteors and tend to be yellow in color.
Plus, according to AccuWeather, Geminids are a great shower for young astronomers because they’re active all night long. The shooting stars will begin to cross the sky at 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. local time.
However, the peak of the shower tends to be in the middle of the night, starting at 2 a.m.
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This year will be especially good for observing the Geminids as it culminates on a moonless night, AccuWeather said, allowing astronomers to see the full potential of the shower in areas away from light pollution.
Geminid meteors are bright and fast (79,000 mph), and rain is famous for producing fireballs, which are meteors brighter than magnitude -4, the same magnitude as the planet Venus.
The Geminids are named after the constellation Gemini, the point from which meteors seem to radiate.
Although meteors appear to flow away from Gemini, Space.com said, they can appear anywhere in the sky. For best results, look away from Gemini slightly so you can see meteors with longer “tails” as they pass; looking directly at Gemini will just show you meteors that don’t travel very far.
This meteor shower is active every December when Earth passes through a massive trail of dusty debris shed by a rocky object named 3200 Phaethon, NASA said. Dust and sand burn as they rush through the Earth’s atmosphere in a flurry of “shooting stars”.
The nature of Phaethon is debated. It’s either an asteroid close to Earth or an extinct comet, sometimes called a rock comet, according to NASA.
Meteor showers don’t require binoculars or telescopes to see – just your bare eyes and a little patience.
The Geminids were first reported as a minor meteor shower in 1862, NASA reported.
At the time of the Civil War, the peak shower rate was around 30 meteors per hour. “Since then, the Geminids have gradually grown stronger to become the heaviest annual rainfall,” said NASA astronomer Bill Cooke. “This is due to the gravity of Jupiter pushing the current closer to Earth.”
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Geminid meteor shower is coming next weekend
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