Stargazers get ready for one of the most spectacular meteor showers of this year as the Geminids head into their peak between Thursday night and Friday morning. The Geminids can shoot up to 120 shooting stars across our skies as they race up to speeds of 43mph. One of the beguiling elements of the meteor shower is its dazzling myriad of colours in white, yellow, green, red and blue.
The Royal Observatory Greenwich (ROG) says the colours “are partly caused by the presence of traces of metals like sodium and calcium, the same effect that is used to make fireworks colourful”.
The shower’s source comes from the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, which takes about 1.4 years to orbit the Sun.
And unlike other meteor displays, the Geminids run throughout the night so you do not have to necessarily stay up past your usual bedtime to watch.
AccuWeather Astronomy blogger Dave Samuhel said: “Most meteor showers tend to have better meteor rates after midnight, but the Geminids will be very active all night.”
Where to watch Geminids LIVE
This year’s Geminids will peak in the UK between midnight and dawn on December 13 to 14.
The ROG anticipates there being up to 75 shooting stars per hour.
On its website, ROG states: “This year, the peak of the Geminids coincides with a waxing crescent Moon, meaning you will have a good chance of seeing this shower.
“You can look out for the shower from sunset as the radiant is in the northern hemisphere, although the early hours of 14 December are the expected peak time.”
ROG astronomer Anna Ross says the best viewing time is 2am.
Skywatchers do not need any specialist equipment to see the Geminids or place.
All you need to do is find a safe spot away from light pollution and give yourself time for your eyes to adjust to the dark.
This should take about 20 minutes so make sure you wrap up warm.
What are the Geminids?
The Geminids appear to radiate from the star Castor in the constellation of Gemini.
But they originate from the asteroid 3200 Phaethon.
As the giant space rock sheds its debris, the shower plummets towards the Earth’s atmosphere at about 80,000 miles per hour.
This results in the multi-coloured display you can see in the sky.