The Geminid meteor shower is an annual celestial event that occurs at the end of the year. And this year, it is expected to be a treat for stargazers around the world due to some special natural conditions. The meteor shower is expected to peak between December 13-14 and is best viewed between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m.
The US space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has said that the meteor shower will begin from 7: 30-8: 00 p.m. CST on December 13 with a rising rate of meteors around 2 a.m. in the northern hemisphere. . Stargazers who watch from midnight to 4 a.m. can capture the best moments.
The dazzling meteor shower is happening during the new moon phase this year, which makes it special, that means the rain will light up the sky on a moonless night. The darkness due to the absence of the moon will make it easier for astronomers to observe the event. The space agency predicted that sky watchers in the northern hemisphere can capture about 60 meteors per hour; that’s an average of one Geminid per minute during rush hour, while people in the southern hemisphere will see less than their neighbors in the north.
Geminids are unique because they do not belong to the parent body of a comet. According to meteor scientists, the Geminids are the only shower that has an asteroid parent body. This asteroid parent identified in 1983 through a satellite is called 3200 Phaethon. A Geminid meteor shower is the result of the burning of dust left by 3,200 Phaethon as Earth passes the mighty asteroid. Geminids that are named after a constellation Gemini, since they appear to radiate from that point, travel at a speed of 35 kilometers per second, 40 times faster than a bullet at high speed.
How to look?
Getting to a place with fewer trees, city lights, and pollution is recommended to block your view, lie on your back, and look up. The generation addicted to smartphones is advised to let their eyes darken for 30-35 minutes and as the eyes adjust, stargazers will be able to see more meteorites. One can see a Gemini if they try to track the meteor back and end up running into the constellation Gemini.
NASA will also broadcast meteor showers live on peak nights, capturing them with a meteor camera at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, from 8 a.m. to 4 a.m. CST, that is, from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. : 30 pm IST on their Facebook Meteor Watch page.
According to NASA, the rain will start at 1 am UTC or 6:30 am IST and sky watchers in India can see the rain as experts suggest it will be visible north of the equator.
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