New Delhi: It’s that time of the year again. The month of December is an exciting time for skywatchers. It’s the month when the sky treats us to meteor showers, or the Geminids, every year.
While the shower is already active and will remain so until December 17, it will peak on December 13-14, according to NASA.
The meteor showers can be seen across the world, but are best visible from countries in the Northern Hemisphere.
The altitude of the Geminid radiant, which is the celestial point where the meteors, or shooting stars, originate, gets lower as one enters the Southern Hemisphere and moves towards the South Pole. Because of this, fewer Geminids can be seen in these locations than in the Northern Hemisphere, NASA explains.
The predicted rate of Geminid sighting in the Northern Hemisphere is around 30-40 meteors per hour, and that in the Southern Hemisphere is “perhaps 25%” lower, according to NASA.
Whether you are able to see the meteor shower also depends on the day’s weather. Besides, the phase of the Moon is a big factor because the moonlight “washes out” the meteors that are fainter.
The phase of the Moon this year won’t be ideal because it will be almost 80 per cent full when the Geminids peak.
How And Where To Watch The Meteor Showers
If the weather permits, the space agency is set to broadcast a live stream of the shower’s peak, using a meteor camera, on December 13-14 at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, starting at 8 pm CST (7.30 am IST, December 14) on the NASA Meteor Watch Facebook page.
For those who want to watch it in the sky, expert advice is to first let your eyes get adjusted to the dark. NASA says this can take approximately 30 minutes. Just look away from bright lights, especially cell phones, to not ruin your night vision.
“When you see a meteor, try to trace it backwards. If you end up in the constellation Gemini, there’s a good chance you’ve seen a Geminid,” NASA said on its website.