The Geminid meteor shower graces skies around the world every December. Some of us trust the show more than we trust the snow (we didn’t have much snow last year, so if you live in Washington, D.C., you can relate). Presentations are scheduled to begin in late November and conclude on Christmas Eve, according to the American Meteor Society. Interestingly, the show will peak and end on the same day as last year.
The magazine said the moon will shine at 1 percent brightness on the night of Dec. 13, so it won’t affect the peak of the showers. American Meteor Society. In other words, the sky will appear darker.
And one of the best parts? Almost everyone can watch the show, no matter where they live on the planet. But viewers in the northern hemisphere will have better programming and should be prepared for colder weather.
Here’s what you need to know about the biggest meteor show.
What is the Geminid meteor shower?
Because the Earth revolves around the Sun, you are sure to see meteors in December. Every year, Earth is bulldozed through a trail of debris left behind by comets and asteroids. The rice-sized meteors fly at about 34 kilometers per second, and when they come in contact with the Earth’s outer air, they flare up, creating colorful stripes across the sky. Don’t be shocked if you see purple, green, and amber stripes. The Geminid meteor shower is known for its pop of color.
Noah Petro, a scientist with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter project, said that similar to fireworks, a meteor’s chemical composition determines its color. Iron causes yellow, sodium causes orange, magnesium causes blue, and calcium causes purple.
The Geminid meteor shower features such a bright display due to the size of the debris involved. The Geminid meteor shower has some of the largest debris of any meteor shower.
“The bigger it gets, the brighter it gets because it just burns up more material in Earth’s atmosphere,” Petro said.
What makes this meteor shower different from other meteor showers?
Due to the huge number of meteors thrown, the Geminid meteor shower establishes itself as the best show of the year. Depending on the weather and location, you can sometimes see more than 100 meteors per hour, but this isn’t always the case. In the mid-1800s, when the Geminid meteor shower first appeared, only 10 to 20 meteors were visible per hour. According to NASA.
The variation in numbers may depend on the 524-day orbit of 3200 Phaethons. (3200 Phaethon is the dominant asteroid orbiting the Geminid meteor shower.) Earth’s passage through the denser dust region left by Phaethon explains why people see more meteors in some years. That could explain it, said Lawrence Garvey, a curator at Arizona State University’s Busek Meteorite Center. the study.
“This means that [the Geminids] It could get even better in the coming decades, or it could decline again,” Garvey said.
Petro cautioned that even if someone sees more than 100 meteors per hour, that doesn’t mean there will always be one or two per minute. Sometimes time passes without doing anything.
Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see hundreds of results per hour. Various conditions affect the visibility of meteors. For NASA Ambassador Tony Rice, it’s most realistic to expect to see a few dozen meteors per hour.
“There’s a good chance you’ll see a few dozen, but you can increase your chances if you go out a little later and make sure you’re at the dark site,” Rice said.
When is the best time to watch?
The Geminid meteor shower originates from the constellation Gemini, which rises near sunset at this time of year, so skywatchers may begin to clearly see the “shooting stars” around 10 p.m., Rice said. .However, the best time to watch is from midnight to 2am
“We’re going to see some nice dark skies with meteors visible. The fact that we’re so close to the new moon means there’s going to be less light pollution,” Rice said.
If you can’t make a wish on a shooting star on December 13th, don’t worry. The meteor show continues for more than a week after its peak. However, the number of meteors you can see will be fewer.
See tips from experts
- Look for darkness. This may be rural. If you can’t go to the countryside, look at the darkest part of the sky wherever you are.
- Patience — Just because you have an average number doesn’t mean you’ll see that many meteors per hour.
- Please leave your cell phone indoors. Looking at your device before facing the sky can impair your natural night vision.
- Get comfortable. If you want, grab something warm to drink while you wait for the show.