Geminid meteor shower: What are Geminids? When and how to view the celestial show

Geminid meteor shower: The Geminids meteor shower peaks each year in mid-December, and is regarded as one of the best annual meteor showers.

This year the Geminids will peak around December 13-14. The Geminids Meteor Shower is supposed to produce approximately 120 meteors per hour.

Geminid meteor shower 2022:  How to see

To watch the Geminids meteor shower, you don’t need special equipment. However, a clear sky is necessary. Due to pollution and light, people may not be able to see some of them. 

To have the best view, stargazers must find a spot away from city lights. And acclimatise and get used to the dark and look at the sky.

Bill Cooke, lead of NASA’s Meteoroid Environments Office at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, suggests sitting in the shade of a house or tree while also maintaining a view of the open sky to alleviate moonlight interference.

What is the Geminid meteor shower?

200 Phaethon causes the Geminid meteor shower. Meteors are particles that burn up as they enter Earth’s atmosphere at high speed, and they usually originate from comets. 

Geminid meteor shower: Why are they called Geminids? Where to look?

According to NASA, “The constellation for which a meteor shower is named only serves to aid viewers in determining which shower they are viewing on a given night. The constellation is not the source of the meteors. Also, you should not look only to the constellation of Gemini to view the Geminids – they are visible throughout the night sky.”

Geminids meteor shower 2022: Fact 

As per NASA, Geminids travel 78,000 miles per hour, over 40 times faster than a speeding bullet, but it is highly unlikely that meteors will reach the ground – as most Geminids burn up at altitudes between 45 to 55 miles.