Geminid meteor shower set to light up sky during weekend peak

The Geminids meteor shower – one of the most spectacular in the celestial calendar – will peak this weekend, and astronomers say conditions could make for a particularly colorful spectacle, weather permitting.

Meteors are visible all over the world, but those in the Northern Hemisphere will have the best view.

In the UK, if skies are clear, the waning crescent Moon will not rise until after midnight, which should mean several hours of dark skies to see the meteors more clearly.

Here's the science behind Geminis and how to get a better chance of seeing them.

We get a kick out of meteor showers as Earth passes through the trails of comets—icy objects that NASA calls “cosmic snowballs”—or, in rarer cases, including the Geminids, rocky asteroids.

When the dust and gases from these objects enter our atmosphere, they burn up and create the bright streaks we know as shooting stars.

Although most meteors appear white, some may glow green, yellow, red or blue, depending on the elements in the material that burns up in Earth's atmosphere.

Metals such as sodium, magnesium and calcium produce colors similar to those seen in fireworks.

The Geminids shower comes from the remains of an asteroid called 3200 Phaethon.

Until recently, scientists believed that the Geminids arose as a result of the emission of dust from Phaeton 3200. But two years ago scientists have identified that Phaeton's tail is actually made of glowing sodium gas. Thus, there is still some uncertainty about how and when the Geminid dust formed.

The Geminids offer one of the best chances of the year, weather permitting, to see rain due to the volume and frequency of its “shooting stars.”

“What you'd be looking at in a nice dark sky with no clouds would be, say, 100 an hour, which is amazing,” said Dr Robert Massey of the Royal Astronomical Society.

“This is pretty much the biggest meteor shower of the year.”

Bright moonlight can make it difficult to see meteors and other objects in the night sky. But weather permitting, we could have near-perfect viewing conditions for the Geminid Peak.

The crescent moon is in its final waning phase, much of it in shadow, and in the UK it won't rise until the early morning either, potentially giving us some lovely dark skies in which to view the spectacle.

Keep in mind that visibility is still greatly affected by weather conditions, so check your local weather forecast for the clearest possible window.

If you find a place without light pollution and with an open view of the sky, you'll have a better chance of seeing something.

The Geminids are a naked-eye phenomenon best viewed under dark, open skies, so you won't need a telescope or binoculars.

“There aren’t a lot of completely free natural treats out there. And this is one of them. So go out and enjoy. You know, it's a way to connect with heaven, to take time to kind of forget about our more earthly or more worldly concerns,” Dr. Massey said.

The meteors appear to be coming from the constellation Gemini, but looking slightly away from this point often provides a wider field of view.

Dress warmly and bring a blanket or reclining chair to get comfortable and allow your vision to adjust to the dark.

“You just have to have good eyesight to see it, and I think it's incredible.”

The Geminid meteor shower peaks on Sunday, December 14th.

Unfortunately the weather in the UK is not ideal for viewing. Saturday and Sunday are expected to be windy and cloudy with showers during the day and night.

There could be a few drier and clearer spells Sunday evening. Northern Scotland and the Northern Isles, as well as parts of East Anglia and southeast England, are likely to have a better chance of seeing the night sky.

But keep checking, as there may be gaps in the darkness. A good place to track good viewing potential in your area is Met Office UK cloud cover map and through BBC Weather.