Geminid Meteor Shower

Jonti horner university of southern queensland and tanya hill museums victoria.

Geminid meteor shower. The geminid meteor shower is visible all night long since gemini arises just an hour or two after nightfall. The geminids did not start out that way. This is the one major shower that provides good activity prior to midnight as the constellation of gemini is well placed from 22 00 onward.

They streak through the sky every minute or two all night. The geminids are considered to be one of the most spectacular meteor showers of the year with the possibility of sighting around 120 meteors per hour at its peak which is on december 13 or 14 depending on your time zone. Flickr jeff sullivan cc by nc nd.

This would make the geminids together with the quadrantids the only major meteor showers not originating from a comet. The best place to start is between the radiant and the zenith straight above you. Where 2019 was a disappointing year for meteor showers with two of the big three the quadrantids perseids and geminids lost mainly to moonlight 2020 promises to be much better.

It is unique because the meteors are visible all night long since the constellation gemini arises just an hour or two after nightfall. The famous geminid meteor shower will sling bright shooting stars this winter though a just past full moon will make all but the brightest hard to see. A composite image of one night watching the orionids meteor shower.

The draconids meteor shower which runs between october 6 and 10 every year will peak overnight on wednesday october 7. The geminids which peak during mid december each year are considered to be one of the best and most reliable annual meteor showers. The geminids are a prolific meteor shower caused by the object 3200 phaethon which is thought to be a palladian asteroid with a rock comet orbit.

The geminids are usually the strongest meteor shower of the year and meteor enthusiasts are certain to circle december 13 and 14 on their calendars. This shower generated by debris dropped by comet 21p giacobini zinner. The shower will peak on dec.