Geminid meteor shower 2018: Dazzling meteor shower stars TODAY – How to see the Geminids

Geminid typically start to break out into the night skies around the start of December. The shower is one of the best meteor displays of the year and its peak around mid-December is particularly mesmerising. This year, the Geminids are expected to be active between December 4 and December 17. The shower’s peak, when the Geminids are most intense and most numerous, will fall on the night of December 13 and December 14.

Astronomers expect up to 120 meteors an hour to zip across the night sky during the peak.

This happens because on that night the Earth will cross paths with the orbit of Asteroid 3200 Phaethon.

The Geminids are bits and pieces of space rock debris broken off from the asteroid, which then burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere.

How to see the Geminid meteor shower this year

All meteor showers are best seen on the night of their peak when the meteors are bright, intense and appear in swarms.

The Geminids are no exception to this rule and will be best seen in the dark hours between December 13 and December 14.

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You may see individual shooting stars here and there in the run-up to the peak, but waiting another nine days to see the shower is your best bet.

Astronomers Deborah Byrd and Bruce McClure of EarthSky.org explained: “The Geminid meteor shower – always a highlight of the meteor year – will peak in 2018 around the mornings of December 13 and 14.

“Geminid meteors tend to be few and far between at early evening but intensify in number as evening deepens into late night. Observing around 2am is best.

“This shower favours Earth’s Northern Hemisphere, but it’s visible from the Southern Hemisphere, too.”

If you decided to watch the meteor shower outdoors, be sure to find a quiet dark spot without strong sources of light nearby.

A wide-open field with unobstructed views of the horizon would be ideal.

Check your local weather forecast for clouds and rain before you head out.

And keep in mind there will be no need to carry a telescope or binoculars with you – the meteors are too fast to track with tools.

The shooting stars will appear to radiate from a point in their namesake constellation Gemini but you should be fine just lying back and taking in the whole sky at once.

The Geminids will dash in all directions imaginable, so seeing as much of the sky at once as possible, is the best thing you can do.

What are the Geminid meteors?

The Geminids are the cosmic rubble left behind in the path of Asteroid 3200 Phaethon as it barrows around the Sun.

EarthSky explained: “Every year, in December, our planet Earth crosses the orbital path of an object called 3200 Phaethon, a mysterious body that is sometimes referred to as a rock comet.

“The debris shed by 3200 Phaethon crashes into Earth’s upper atmosphere at some 80,000 miles (130,000 km) per hour, to vaporise as colourful Geminid meteors.”

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