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Baby, it's cold outside, but it's worth throwing on a heavy winter coat, scarf and boots and heading out for one of the best meteor showers of the year: the Geminids.
The Geminid shower began on December 4 and peaked on the night of December 13–14.
What makes this meteor shower so good is that in ideal conditions it can produce up to 150 meteors per hour – and this year, if the weather cooperates, viewing will be especially good.
“They will be amazing on many levels,” said Peter Brown, Canada's director of meteor astronomy research and a professor at Western University in London, Ontario.
“The nice thing this year is that the peak falls on the night of the 13th, the morning of the 14th is Saturday, Sunday. So it’s very convenient.”
Unlike last year, when the moon was nearly full and its light washed out fainter meteors, this year the moon will be a waning crescent and rise in the early morning (depending on where you are, it could be anywhere from 1:30 a.m. to 3:30 a.m.), meaning it won't interfere with your viewing pleasure.
The great thing about the Geminids is that they produce fireballs – extremely bright meteors that can be seen from the city. But temper your expectations of how much you'll see if you're in urban areas, where there will be about a dozen in an hour.
On the other hand, if you get into a dark sky area, you may be able to see faint meteors that are hidden by light pollution.
Early evening viewing
Another feature of this shower is that it starts relatively early each evening.
Most meteor showers get their name from the constellation in which the meteors appear to have originated, called the radiant. Imagine seeing the Gemini meteor overhead: if you draw a line to where it started, it will end up in the constellation Gemini.
Gemini rises early in the east, which means you can start your meteor viewing early in the evening. Compare this to, say, the Perseids every August, when peak viewing typically occurs in the pre-dawn hours.
And when the moon does rise on peak night, the radiant will be high in the sky (when it's directly overhead, we say it's at its zenith), which is ideal for viewing the meteor shower.
Lunar influences
We see meteor showers on Earth when passing comets or asteroids drop small particles as they approach the Sun. Once a year, the Earth breaks through this debris, which burns up in our atmosphere and appears as streaks of light in the sky.
Asteroid 3200 Phaeton is responsible for the beautiful and authentic Geminid light show.
This interactive map shows Earth passing through asteroid debris:
But this flow has an even greater impact on our closest celestial neighbor.
Unlike Earth, the Moon has very little atmosphere, so when it crosses the path of debris from comets or asteroids, there is nothing to stop pieces from crashing into the lunar surface. They may leave a crater there, but the size depends on the size of the debris.
When it comes to lunar impacts, “The Geminids are the granddaddy of all showers,” Brown says.
“There is a NASA campaign and [the European Space Agency] and a few more people for monitoring [unilluminated part of] The moon to really understand how many Geminids, the big Geminids, ended up on the moon,” he said.
“…There were times when people would watch the moon and see one strike every 20 minutes, which is just crazy.”
WATCH | 2 meteors crash into the Moon:
This is especially important as humans prepare to return to the Moon as part of NASA's Artemis program.
Nice window to view
If you have cloudy skies the night of Dec. 13-14, you'll have a different chance of seeing the Geminids, Brown said.
“This year it is also wise to consider going out on Sunday evening, from the 14th to the 15th. The rates will still be pretty good,” he said. This is because the Moon will be less illuminated and rise later.
And of course, you can always watch in the evening before the peak of the rain.
A few final tips: If possible, try to sit in a comfortable chair, as your neck may start to hurt after a while. Find as dark a place as possible and don't use your phone – you want your eyes to adapt to the dark.
Finally, remember: be patient. You won't be disappointed.
