One of the most reliable meteor showers of the year will streak across the sky Thursday and Friday mornings. A cold front will be approaching the area bringing widespread rain Thursday afternoon into early Friday morning so the best time to view it will be Wednesday night into Thursday morning, especially around 2 am when the constellation Gemini is highest in the night sky. (View our interactive radar)
The Geminid meteor shower lights up the Earth’s sky every December about this time as our planet passes through the trail left by the rock comet 3200 Phaethon.
Where to see it?
If you’re planning to catch the shower, you should begin looking for meteors Wednesday night about 11 p.m. and through the early morning hours on Thursday with the peak at around 2 a.m. The same times are best for Thursday night into Friday morning as well, however lingering rain and clouds will prevent most meteors from being seen. The moon will be a crescent this week and is actually visible during the day, not night, which is for meteor gazing.
Look off towards the constellation Gemini in the night sky (that’s how the meteor shower got its name). You’ll find it in the eastern sky around 9 pm, the southeast sky around 2 am and the south-southeast around 5 am.
This year, it will be possible to see about 50 meteors per hour under ideal circumstances (clear skies with no light-pollution). Don’t forget to give your eyes time to adjust to the darkness. It will take about 20 minutes for your eyes to adapt to the night sky and then you’ll be ready to see the celestial wonder.
