Stargazers await, on the night of December 13-14, a dazzling event will rain the sky with the most intense meteor shower of 2022 in the Northern Hemisphere, which is called meteor rain.
This year, the meteor shower that resembles “showers” will be active from November 19 to December 24, but it peaks on the evening of December 13, and the moon will be full during most of the night, which hinders the observation of meteors in the southern hemisphere.
Geminids are usually the most powerful meteor showers of the year, as 120 meteors per hour can be seen, which are bright cosmic fireballs, which will appear in the coming weeks.
Astronomers expect the peak of meteor shower activity that night. The meteor emission region is located near the constellation of Gemini, which are bright and fast meteors that tend to be yellow in color.
The meteor shower consists of small particles, some the size of a fist or pebbles, originating from the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, which astronomers believe may be an extinct comet or a new type of body called a “rocky comet,” according to NASA.
Whatever it was, the pieces that have broken away from Phaethon over the years form dust clouds denser than most comets leave, which explains why the Geminids consistently have one of the strongest annual meteor showers in mid-December each year.
Hundreds or thousands of them burn when they collide with the upper atmosphere, which generates a bright light and colored fire streaks in the sky, with a speed of up to 35 kilometers per second. In general, meteorites come from the remains of comet particles and the remains of asteroids.
To have the best chance of catching as many Gemini as possible, the most important thing to do is to find an observing spot that is far from light pollution, has a wide view of the sky and is free of clouds.
If the moon is rising, you can try to orient yourself so that it is as far back as possible. Once you have the perfect spot, lie back, relax, give your eyes time to adjust, and then watch the amazing experience for an hour.
At the height of the night, if you’re lucky with ideal conditions, you might see up to 150 meteors in one hour. Your best chance of finding out is around 2 a.m., which is also the best time to see the bright Earth grazer, a gorgeous fireball nickname that seems to blaze spectacularly just above the horizon.