Geminids Meteor Shower: Spectacular Meteor Show Expected This Week

Get a front row seat to the annual Geminid meteor shower and witness dozens of meteors lighting up the night sky. Don't miss out on this spectacular celestial event!

The Geminid meteor shower is anticipated to reach its peak at 2:27 p.m. ET on Thursday, according to EarthSky. The best time to observe the celestial display will be in the early morning hours between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. in any time zone. Robert Lunsford, the fireball report coordinator for the American Meteor Society, recommends this time for optimal viewing in clear conditions with no light interference from the moon. NASA estimates that the Geminids could produce up to 120 visible meteors per hour, making it the most powerful annual meteor shower, or "king of the meteor showers," as described by Lunsford. With the moon at just 1% full on Wednesday night heading into Thursday, the meteors will have the spotlight for this year's event.

Lunsford pointed out that the visibility of meteors depends on the location. While it is possible to see up to 120 meteors from the middle of the desert or a mountaintop, the number decreases significantly from a backyard with light pollution. Realistically, a sky-gazer in a backyard, away from light pollution, would see an average of 60 meteors per hour after midnight.

The meteor shower will be visible globally, but those in the Southern Hemisphere will have a shorter viewing window, noted Lunsford. This is due to the constellation Gemini, the radiant of the Geminids, being lower in the sky and anticipated to rise after midnight.

Earlier this year, astronomers discovered that the Geminid meteors, which come from debris of an asteroid called 3200 Phaethon, were likely created by a violent collision or gaseous explosion, based on data from NASA's Parker Solar Probe mission. This information was revealed in a June study published in The Planetary Science Journal. The first observation of a meteor shower was recorded in 1862.

Due to their chemical makeup, Geminid meteors are known to be bright and may have different colors, such as orange, yellow, or green, depending on the presence of calcium, sodium, or nickel.

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The Geminids have been observed streaking across the sky since November and their numbers appear to be increasing as Earth approaches the core of the 3200 Phaethon debris cloud. If viewing conditions are hindered by unfavorable weather, the shower will still have high rates a few days before and after the peak, according to Lunsford.

The last significant annual meteor shower of 2023 is set to be the Ursids, reaching its peak on the night of December 21 and continuing into the early morning of December 22, as reported by the American Meteor Society.