#Geminid meteor

[traverse-our-universe]

Geminid Meteor Shower over Death Valley National Park by Babak Tafreshi

[without-ado]

The Geminids over Stonehenge (x)

[nasa]

A Geminid meteor streaks across the sky as the Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft is rolled out by train to the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015, in Kazakhstan. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

Make a Wish! How to See the Geminid Meteor Shower

Every December, we have a chance to see one of our favorite meteor showers – the Geminids. To help you prepare, we’ve answered some of your most commonly asked questions. Happy viewing, stargazers!

These radar images of near-Earth object 3200 Phaethon were generated by astronomers at the National Science Foundation's Arecibo Observatory on Dec. 17, 2017. Observations of Phaethon were conducted at Arecibo from Dec. 15 through 19, 2017. At time of closest approach on Dec. 16 at 3 p.m. PST (6 p.m. EST, 2300 UTC), the asteroid was about 6.4 million miles (10.3 million kilometers) away, or about 27 times the distance from Earth to the Moon. Credit: Arecibo Observatory/NASA/NSF

What are the Geminids?

The Geminids are caused by debris from a celestial object known as 3200 Phaethon striking Earth’s atmosphere. Phaethon’s origin is the subject of some debate. Some astronomers consider it to be an extinct comet, based on observations showing some small amount of material leaving its surface. Others argue that it has to be an asteroid because of its orbit and its similarity to the main-belt asteroid Pallas.

All meteors appear to come from the same place in the sky, which is called the radiant. The Geminids appear to radiate from a point in the constellation Gemini, hence the name “Geminids.” The graphic shows the radiants of 388 meteors with speeds of 35 km/s observed by the NASA Fireball Network in December 2020. All the radiants are in Gemini, which means they belong to the Geminid shower. Credit: NASA

Why are they called the Geminids?

All meteors associated with a shower have similar orbits, and they all appear to come from the same place in the sky, which is called the radiant. The Geminids appear to radiate from a point in the constellation Gemini, hence the name “Geminids.”

A Geminid streaks across the sky in this photo from December 2019. Credit: NASA

When is the best time to view them?

The Geminid meteor shower is active for much of December, but the peak will occur during the night of Dec. 13 into the morning of Dec. 14, 2023. Meteor rates in rural areas can be upwards of one per minute this year with minimal moonlight to interfere.

What do I need to see them?

As with all meteor showers, all you need is a clear sky, darkness, a bit of patience, and perhaps warm outerwear and blankets for this one. You don’t need to look in any particular direction, as meteors can generally be seen all over the sky. If you want to take photographs, check out these helpful tips.

An infographic based on 2019’s meteor camera data for the Geminids. Credit: NASA

Do you have any advice to help me see the Geminids better?

Find the darkest place you can and give your eyes about 30 minutes to adapt to the dark. Avoid looking at your cell phone, as it will disrupt your night vision. Lie flat on your back and look straight up, taking in as much sky as possible.

A Geminid streaks across the sky in this photo from December 2011. Credit: NASA

What will the meteors look like?

According to Bill Cooke, lead for the Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, “Most meteors appear to be colorless or white, however the Geminids appear with a greenish hue. They’re pretty meteors!” Depending on the meteor’s chemical composition, the meteor will emit different colors when burned in the Earth’s atmosphere. Oxygen, magnesium, and nickel usually produce green.

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[quiltofstars]

The Geminids and Orion hanging over rural Quebec // rooftopastro.com

[amnhnyc]

☄️This week in space news! Where will you be watching the Geminids Meteor Shower from? Here are some tips, no matter where you are.

[blasteffect]

Geminids Meteor Shower !

Image credit: Haitong Yu via Getty Images

[ascendingtothestarsasone]

The stars are ethereal. Geminids Meteor Shower, December 15th 2023. 💫

📸: ascendingtothestarsasone

[ca-d]

Geminids ✨

[whimsicalpdf]

from my stargazing trip on wednesday :) taken with my samsung s9

the big dipper!

jupiter in the bottom left corner (zoom in! it looks like a star :D)

this picture is just two, but shifted to the left a bit. so jupiter again in the bottom right and pleiades in the middle! it's the very small noticeable cluster

i believe this is orion! betelgeuse is in this picture im pretty sure!!

[millerflintstone]

It was partly cloudy last night. I found a patch of sky while looking out the big window last night at close to 11:00 p.m. I saw one Geminid maybe 5 seconds after I settled on where to look. That's the only one I saw due to moving clouds.

[traverse-our-universe]

Geminid Meteor Shower

Petr Horálek on Instagram

[without-ado]

Orion and the Geminids l Yin Hao

[ikemoths]

My animation and image stack of the Geminid meteor shower in Poland, december 14/15 :D I'm extremely proud of this one!! Song: everything's ok by dreamcorp

[railwayhistorical]

Geminid Meteor Shower

With it being clear for a couple of days here I was able to get out and try to record some meteors as part of the Geminid. While I saw one every few minutes, I was only able to capture three or four.

Orion lies between the two trees near the top of the frame; that's Sirius directly below. In between, and a bit to the left, is a meteor streaking by. We're looking pretty much due east. Gemini is the next constellation toward the left: that's the area in the sky from which the meteors appear to originate (hence the name).

Here's a couple more I saw previous to the one above:

I took these near Traverse City, Michigan; the body of water is Grand Traverse Bay East Arm. Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, near Acme, Michigan, can be seen on the horizon below the meteor.

One image by Richard Koenig; taken December 14th 2023.

[quiltofstars]

Orion rising above White Desert National Park, Egypt, during the Geminid meteor shower on December 14, 2023 // Alaa El Bedewi