The brightly lit Geminid meteor shower will peak tonight, December 14. Know all about it and how to watch it online.
Sky watchers will enjoy an incredible gift over the next few days. But tonight, December 14, will be the most spectacular. Why? That’s because the Geminid meteor shower is heavily streamed and is expected to peak tonight. Not only that, many astronomers also believe that this will be one of the most beautiful meteor shower nights of the year. So you absolutely cannot miss it. For the uninitiated, the Geminid meteor shower occurs when Earth passes through the debris trail of the asteroid 3200 Phaethon. This year, the meteor shower started on December 4, and the number of meteors in the sky is increasing gradually. Although the meteor shower will continue until December 17, the number of meteors will plummet after tonight. So, if you’re excited about them too, then you should know the best time to see them and know how to get a telescopic view of them live online. Just read on.
Geminid meteor shower peaks tonight
NASA disclosure in his blog post, “During peak activity and perfect weather conditions, which are rare, Geminids produce approximately 100-150 meteors per hour to watch”. And while the waning Moon might make it harder to see all the meteors passing through the sky, it’s thought the Geminid meteor shower will be so bright you’ll be in for a great show. great regardless. Interestingly, the meteor shower is named Geminids because the meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Gemini.
What time to watch the Geminid meteor shower?
According to NASA, the peak of the Geminid meteor shower will occur at 6am CST (5:30pm IST) on December 14. The meteor shower will provide excellent visibility throughout the night. The last chance to see the meteor shower is on December 17, but on that night you can only see a few meteors flying across the sky.
How to watch the Geminid meteor shower
While these meteor shower events can be seen with the naked eye from any area of the world with low light pollution, major cities likely won’t see this. If you’re in the big city and still want to see the meteor shower, you can watch it online. Various astronomy channels on YouTube like THEREALPAX, Live Meteors, Secrets of Space and The Muddy Show will host meteor shower webcasts for you to enjoy from the comfort of your own home. All you need to do is go to YouTube and search for ‘Orionid Meteor Shower 2022’ in the search bar and enable the filter for Live videos.
