Grab your coats, warmest socks and a chair: it’s time to head out and look toward the night sky. No, it’s not Santa and his sleigh above (we’ve still got a bit longer to wait for that one); it’s the Geminid meteor shower.
The yearly event is fast approaching, offering a glimpse of hundreds of meteors painting the sky with a variety of different colours. While this year isn’t expected to be quite as impressive as last year's celestial spectacle, these shooting stars will be worth catching.
So now, the big questions. When, where, how and why? We’ve got you covered with everything you need to know for the Gemini meteor shower 2024 below.
When is the Geminid meteor shower 2024?
The Geminid meteor shower will peak late on Friday 13 December and into the early hours of Saturday 14 December. This is the optimal time to see shooting stars – in the UK and US, they'll appear visible to the naked eye and demonstrating the brightest colours.
"The best time to view the Geminid meteor shower is around 2am local time," said Dr Shyam Balaji, researcher in astroparticle physics and cosmology at King’s College London. "However, you can start watching from mid-evening onwards.”
You may also see Geminid shooting stars a few days after the peak: the shower is active this year from 4 December all the way through to 20 December.
You won’t need any special equipment to see the shower, just some warm clothes, your eyes and a sense of adventure.
Unfortunately, because it will be a full Moon on Sunday, some of the fainter parts of the shower might be obscured.
“This year, conditions are less than ideal as we have a near full moon which will obscure some of the fainter meteors," said Prof Don Pollacco, astrophysicist from The University of Warwick.
"Still, this shower is always worth a look so if the weather is favourable, wrap up warm and go out in the early hours on Saturday with a reclining chair and look to the south and high in the sky.
"Once your eyes become adapted to the darkness you should become aware of the occasional meteor. But be patient and remember 'good things come to those who wait!'"
Where to look in the sky to see Geminids
Meteor showers typically get their names from the constellation in which their radiant is found. That simply means the point in the sky from which the meteors appear to originate.
Unsurprisingly, this then means that the Geminids originate in the constellation Gemini. However, this is just how we perceive it from Earth, and it isn’t its exact ‘source’.
To find Gemini, look up to the sky and find Orion the Hunter (we have a full guide on astronomy to help you get started here). Orion the Hunter is easily distinguishable by the three bright stars that make up Orion’s belt.
Once you find Orion, look up and to the left. Here, you’ll see two bright stars – Castor and Pollux. These two stars represent each of the twins of Gemini. The region you need to be looking is just above Castor, the slightly fainter of the two stars.
How many Geminid meteors will you be able to see?
The Geminids have in the past reached 120-150 meteors per hour.
"The maximum rate of meteors will be in the early hours of Saturday 14 December and could reach 150 bright meteors an hour," explained Pollacco.
Ultimately, it is hard to know exactly how many meteors will be visible. It can depend on a variety of factors like the weather and simply how many meteors break off.
The many colours of the Geminid meteors
One of the great features of the Geminid meteors is their colour. They are bright and can appear in white, yellow or green. Occasionally, they will even be red, orange or blue.
This is because of the presence of different metals in the debris.
“The unusual colours of the Geminid meteors are due to the presence of various metals in the meteoroids, such as sodium and calcium," explains Balaji.
"These elements burn up in the Earth's atmosphere, creating bright and colourful streaks."
As the meteors enter Earth’s atmosphere, these different chemicals ionise and emit light. The majority of Geminid meteors will be yellow or white. This is because of a high iron/magnesium ratio.
Depending on what materials are present, you could see:
Yellow: Iron, magnesium
Green/blue: Nickel, magnesium
Purple: Calcium-rich
Blue: Magnesium-rich with ionised calcium
Red and orange: Sodium, potassium, nitrogen, oxygen
Where do the Geminids come from?
Usually when you see a meteor shower, they have come from the debris of comets flying through the sky. The Geminids however are slightly more unique.
The Geminids are associated with asteroid 3200 Phaethon. This has been nicknamed the 'rock comet'. It has typically sand-grain-sized particles strewn around its orbit which, when they encounter Earth’s atmosphere, vaporise to produce a meteor trail.
These bits breaking off are denser than cometary dust flakes that are normally seen in meteor showers.
This isn’t the only unique feature of the Geminids. Its orbit also brings it closer to the Sun than any other asteroid. This is where it gets its name from, named after the Greek myth of Phaëthon, the son of the sun god Helios.
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