Every year, the Earth sees plenty of meteor showers. However, the Geminid meteor shower is said to be the most consistent one among them. The event is soon to peak on December 14th, and it has been going on since November 19th and will end on December 24th.
Viewing the Meteor Shower
When you’re viewing from New York, the best time to watch the meteors fall is hours before the sun rises on December 15th. When you’re about to watch, make sure to spot the Gemini constellation, as it will be the Geminid meteor shower’s radiant point.
As the radiant point rises above the horizon, the number of meteors you might see will increase as well, according to Space. The suggested time, however, is before the moon rises. Since it’s in the waning gibbous phase, its light might affect the meteor shower’s visibility.
It’s still possible to see meteors when the moon has risen, especially the brightest ones. The meteors are said to be bold, white, and quick. Keep your eyes peeled so you won’t miss it because they may be bright, but they’re also easy to miss.
If you’re from the Northern Hemisphere, then you’re in luck, since the conditions favor your area. If you’re from the Southern Hemisphere, you don’t have to worry since you’ll be able to see it too, just not as well as the counterpart.
The best time to view the event is when the peak and dark skies meet. In this case, watchers may be able to see around 120 Geminid meteors per hour. Be sure to dress accordingly. Since it’s December, temperatures will be cold and you might catch a cold instead of a meteor.
It’s also advised for watchers to allot at least an hour of observation time for the time of viewing. The eyes will need to adjust to the darkness for about 20 minutes so they could see the meteors better.
It was also mentioned that the fall of meteors will not be constant. They will come in spurts along with lulls. Patience is a key element in watching out for meteors as well as a sharp eye since the sky is a vast space.
Where Did the Meteors Come From?
Usually, meteor showers come from comets. The Geminid meteor shower is a special one because it comes from an asteroid called 3200 Phaethon. If you’re wondering what the difference is, comets are icy bodies hurtling through space, while an asteroid is more of a huge rock.
The asteroid was discovered back on October 11th of 1983. It was captured by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite, and Simon Green and John Davies spotted them in the photos, and they named it 1939 TB, as mentioned in Earth Sky.
However, it was Fred Whipple who discovered that the shower came from 3200 Phaethon. Whipple observed the asteroid had the same orbit as the meteor shower. Back then, everyone else believed that meteor showers came from comets only.