They're bright, they're plentiful, and the Geminids, which make up what's considered one of the best annual meteor showers to watch, are about to reach their peak viewing time.
The Geminids meteors have already been active in our skies since December 4, heading into the best night of the year to see them on Sunday.
Here's what you need to know about the meteor shower and the best places to see it.
What is the Geminids meteor shower?
Gemini gets its name from the constellation Gemini, of which it appears to be a neighbor. According to Professor Jonty Horner, an astrophysicist at the University of Southern Queensland, the Geminids are by far the best annual meteor shower, with people potentially seeing dozens of meteors per hour.
“What happens with the Geminids is that you have a plume of debris left by the astroid… which is often called a rock comet,” Horner says.
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He says the comet – asteroid 3200 Phaeton – is named after the hero of Greek mythology who was the son of the sun god Helios. It received this name because of its orbit, which brings it closer to the Sun.
And, unlike many other meteors created from the tails of comets, the Geminids are actually made of dust from asteroid 3200 Phaeton.
When is the best time to see Gemini in Australia?
The meteor shower will peak on Sunday night and Monday morning.
Horner says they will appear in the skies between 3:00 and 3:30 am (AEDT) on the east coast.
“The further north you are in Australia, the better views you'll get,” Horner says.
“So if you were in Darwin or Cairns and you had really nice dark skies, you could see up to 80 or 90 meteors per hour at about 2 or 3am.”
What's a good way to see a meteor shower?
Horner says the best way to view the Geminids meteor shower is to step away from street lights.
“I always prefer to go to bed late rather than wake up early, so I will stay up until I'm too tired,” Horner says.
What causes meteor showers in the first place?
Horner says that as the Earth orbits the Sun, it returns to the maximum viewing angles for the Geminids each year.
“It's like driving around a very large roundabout: if you just circle around it, you keep coming back to the same place,” Horner says.
“There are all these streams of dust and debris crossing the Earth’s orbit right now.”
He says that as comets orbit the sun, they shed dust. It then spreads over time, creating a wide stream of dust orbiting the Sun.
Once the Earth passes through this shower, it ends up with more dust than usual, and this is what causes meteor showers to appear in our skies.
What can celebrity enthusiasts expect in the new year?
The next big event to delight stargazers in 2026 will be a total lunar eclipse on March 3rd.
