It doesn’t matter when the meteor shower is or what the meteor shower might be called. Be they Leonids, Perseids, or Geminids, I love meteor showers and I don’t care how hot or how cold, when there are meteors falling, you’ll generally find me outside to check them out. If you’re a skywatcher, December is the time for the Geminid meteor shower, which will be peaking tomorrow, December 14, between midnight and 4 AM.
If you don’t like getting up at 4 AM, then any time after the sun sets should yield a light show, assuming you can get away from the light pollution and there’s no cloud cover. In some areas, the Geminids will yield 160 meteors an hour. Even in the city, there should be quite a few visible meteors streaking through the sky. Might be worth it to either get bundled up and head out into the cold or turn off the lights and settle down by the window with a mug of hot cocoa.
The Geminids are called the Geminids because they originate from the Gemini constellation. The meteors spring forth from an object called 3200 Phaethon. The meteors it produces are slower-moving than other showers and give off a yellowish hue, making them much easier to spot than fellow meteors from other constellations. Interestingly, the Geminids appear to be increasing in intensity every year, so this might only be getting better. The Geminids were first witnessed 150 years ago.
Tags: meteors, astronomy, meteor shower, Geminids, Geminid meteor shower, annual meteor shower peaks tomorrow at 4 AM, Tuesday night meteor shower, 3200 Phaethon, Gemini, meteors from the Gemini constellation, unusual space phenomenon, astronomy events, meteor shower peaks Tuesday
