Geminid meteor shower 2023: How to see the spectacular show late tonight

The peak of the Geminid meteor shower, very early on the morning of 14 December, is anticipated to dazzle this 12 months. The shower began on 19 November and can finish on 24 December, however preserve an eye fixed out over the coming days as a result of exercise is ramping up.

What are meteor showers?

Meteors are shiny flashes of sunshine that transfer shortly throughout the sky. They are brought on by items of mud and particles from area coming into the environment, the place they decelerate and expend. This occurs every now and then and may happen at any time. On a given evening of stargazing, you would possibly see a few meteors each hour. Meteor showers are intervals in which there’s a notable enhance in the variety of meteors, brought on by Earth transferring via a path of particles left behind by a comet or asteroid. Because of this, they have a tendency to occur round the identical time annually, as the identical particles trails are encountered repeatedly.

What is the Geminid meteor shower?

The Geminids aren’t brought on by a comet, as most meteor showers are, however by an asteroid referred to as 3200 Phaethon. But that is an uncommon asteroid, with a comet-like vapour tail that puzzled astronomers for a while. In 2021, NASA steered it could be brought on by sodium “fizzing” on its floor.

How do I watch the Geminids?

No particular tools is required to watch the Geminids, only a clear sky. This 12 months will probably be notably good, as a brand new moon on 12 December means there will probably be little or no moonlight, making it simpler to see the shower towards the evening sky. The Geminids have been recognized to produce up to 150 meteors per hour in darkish skies. You are unlikely to see that many, particularly in case you are someplace with gentle air pollution, however it’s price watching wherever you’re. Even just some are stunning to behold.

How do I discover Gemini?

Like all meteor showers, the Geminids are named after the constellation they seem to come from in the sky – on this case, Gemini. You don’t have to discover Gemini to see the meteors, as they are going to journey throughout the sky. But if you would like to, Gemini is straightforward to establish thanks to its two shiny stars, Castor and Pollux.

First, discover Orion and search for its two brightest stars, Rigel and Betelgeuse. Betelgeuse is a reddish star in the prime left of Orion when seen from the northern hemisphere, or its backside proper when seen from the southern hemisphere. The blue-white Rigel is at the backside proper of Orion in the northern hemisphere, however at the prime left in the southern hemisphere.

To discover Gemini, draw a line from Rigel to Betelgeuse, then preserve that line going about the identical distance once more to discover two shiny stars shut to one another: these are Castor and Pollux. This is the place the Geminids will seem to come from.