![]() Once you go outside you need to give your eyes about 15 to 20 minutes to adjust. How to get the best viewĬatching a meteor is a bit like catching a bus, you may need to wait for a while, then several may come at once. If you're planning to stay up all night you could start your stargazing with Jupiter and Saturn just after sunset, look out for meteors after midnight and watch Venus and the Moon rise in the morning twilight. ![]() ![]() If you can't convince your boss to give you a long weekend, you still might be able to catch a smaller number of meteors on December 13. While the shower peaks on December 14, you will also be able to see decent rates on the morning of Tuesday, December 15. "Last year the Moon was almost on top of the radiant, so you had to compete with the meteors for the brightness of the Moon, this year the Moon is nowhere near it," Dr Musgrave says. That means the meteors will be easier to spot - even in light polluted areas - because there will be no moon in the sky. This year they should be particularly spectacular because they coincide with the new moon. "The rates will be between one every minute to every two minutes over most of Australia which is pretty damn good," says amateur astronomer Ian Musgrave. You'll need to be up around 2:00am to see it at its best, but it will be worth it, says amateur astronomer Ian Musgrave. So you might even want to plan a long weekend so you can stay up all Sunday night. The annual Geminids meteor shower, considered the best in the southern hemisphere, will peak in the early hours of Monday December 14. Sunrise Sunset Calendars - Home.If you're looking for a bright note to end the year on, then this is the weekend to set your clocks for an early morning wakeup. Geminids meteor shower: Nature's 'holiday light show'. Find out more about the Geminids along with some fun facts, courtesy of the UK Meteor Observation Network. Read about the curious history of the Geminid meteors with this article published on Universe Today. Additional resourcesĮxplore the Geminid meteor shower in more detail with this NASA blog on the reliable shower. (Image credit: Sky & Telescope diagram)Įditor's note: If you capture an amazing view of the Geminid meteor shower or any other night sky view that you would like to share with for a possible story or gallery, send images and comments to: us on Twitter or on Facebook. The Geminid meteor shower comes every year when Earth passes through the debris left along the asteroid's path. Though it is an asteroid, its elongated path is reminiscent of comets. The orbit of the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, which passes around the sun once every 1.4 years. Related: The greatest meteor storms of all time If you only look at Gemini you might miss the more spectacular Geminids. Make sure to move your gaze around the nearby constellations as meteors closer to the radiant have shorter trains and are more difficult to spot. The two brightest stars in the constellation, Castor and Pollux, represent the heads of the Gemini twins.īut don't look directly at Gemini to find Geminid meteors, as the shooting stars will be visible across the night sky. Gemini is fairly easy to spot in the night sky as it is located northeast of the constellation Orion, between the Taurus and Cancer constellations. From Earth's perspective, the Geminid meteor shower appears to originate from approximately the direction of the Gemini constellation. Meteor showers are named after the constellation from which the meteors appear to emanate, known as the radiant. Visible between: Latitudes 90 degrees and minus 60 degreesĪlthough it is best visible from the Northern Hemisphere, Geminid meteors can also be spotted from the Southern Hemisphere.
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