Dec 12, 2021
The Geminid meteor shower – always a favorite among the annual meteor showers – should peak in 2021 on the night of today into tomorrow according to earthsky.com. The Geminids are a reliable shower for those who watch around 2 a.m. local time from a dark-sky location. This year, a waxing gibbous moon will hang around most of the night, washing out the fainter meteors. Regardless, it’s always worth a look!
Geminid meteor shower characteristics
Geminid meteors tend to be bold, white and quick. This shower favors Earth’s Northern Hemisphere, but it’s visible from the Southern Hemisphere, too. The curious rock comet called 3200 Phaethon is the parent body of this shower.
On a dark night, near the peak of the shower, you can often catch 50 or more meteors per hour. On an optimum night for the Geminids, it’s possible to see 150 meteors per hour. A new moon earlier on December 4 means that the peak of the shower coincides with a moon just a few days past first-quarter phase. This evening, the moon will be more than 77-percent lit and already above the horizon as darkness falls. The moon will drift across the sky to the west over the course of the night, among the stars of Pisces, setting around 4 a.m. local time. This leaves a couple hours of darkness before sunrise of good meteor viewing.
Geminid meteor shower radiant point
The Geminid meteor shower is best around 2 a.m. because its radiant point – the point in our sky from which the meteors seem to radiate – is highest in the sky at that time. As a general rule, the higher the constellation Gemini the Twins climbs into your sky, the more Geminid meteors you’re likely to see.
This Geminids’ radiant point nearly coincides with the bright star Castor in Gemini. That’s a chance alignment, of course, as Castor lies about 52 light-years away, while these meteors burn up in the upper atmosphere some 60 miles (100 km) above Earth’s surface.
Castor is noticeably near another bright star, the golden star Pollux of Gemini. It’s fun to spot them, but you don’t need to find a meteor shower’s radiant point to see these meteors.
The meteors in annual showers appear in all parts of the sky. It’s even possible to have your back to the constellation Gemini and see a Geminid meteor fly by.
The Geminids radiate from near the bright star Castor in the constellation Gemini, in the east on December evenings, highest around 2 a.m. for all parts of the globe. Learn more about the Geminids’ radiant point.
6 tips for meteor watchers
1. The most important thing, if you’re serious about watching meteors, is a dark, open sky.
2. Watch at the peak time of night, around 2 a.m. (or later) for all parts of the globe.
3. When you’re meteor-watching, it’s good to bring along a buddy. Then two of you can watch in different directions. When someone sees one, call out, “Meteor!” This technique will let you see more meteors than one person watching alone will see.
4. Be sure to give yourself at least an hour of observing time. It takes about 20 minutes for your eyes to adapt to the dark.
5. Be aware that meteors often come in spurts, interspersed with lulls.
6. Special equipment? None needed. Maybe bring a sleeping bag to keep warm. A thermos with a warm drink, and a snack, is always welcome. Plan to sprawl back in a hammock, lawn chair, pile of hay or blanket on the ground. Lie back in comfort, and look upward. The meteors will appear in all parts of the sky.
Earthgrazers are possible in the evening hours
If the 2 a.m. observing time isn’t practical for you, don’t give up on the Geminids all together. Sure, you won’t see as many Geminid meteors in early evening, when the constellation Gemini sits close to the eastern horizon. But you should still take a look. And, the evening hours are the best time to try to catch an earthgrazer meteor.
An earthgrazer is a slooow-moving, looong-lasting meteor that travels horizontally across the sky. Earthgrazers are rarely seen but prove to be especially memorable, if you should be lucky enough to catch one.
Parent of the Geminid meteor shower, 3200 Phaethon
3200 Phaethon is a rock comet. Scientists believe sodium fizzing from the asteroid’s surface causes it to act like a comet. The debris shed by 3200 Phaethon crashes into Earth’s upper atmosphere at some 80,000 miles (130,000 km) per hour, to vaporize as colorful Geminid meteors.
In periods of 1.43 years, this small 3-mile (5-km) wide asteroid-type object swings extremely close to the sun (to within one-third of Mercury’s distance), at which point intense thermal fracturing causes it to shed yet more rubble into its orbital stream.
There was big excitement about 3200 Phaethon in 2017, because this object was exceedingly nearby around the nights of the Geminid meteor shower’s peak. It swept to within 6.4 million miles (10.3 million km, 26 lunar-distances) on December 16, 2017.
Bottom line: The Geminid meteor shower peaks tonight and tomorrow. This shower is best after midnight, although a waxing gibbous moon will make observing a challenge.
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