American Meteor Society
Geminid Meteors seen at 7pm
Geminid Meteors seen at Midnight
Geminid Meteors seen at 5am
The Geminid meteor shower is now active and will reach maximum activity on Thursday night/Friday morning December 13/14. Activity is currently low with only 1-2 meteors per hour appearing from this source. Activity will increase each night until maximum activity is reached on the 13/14. After maximum, rates will fall swiftly and Geminid meteors will soon disappear.
On the night of December 13/14, Geminid meteors will appear as soon as becomes dark. Activity will be low but the meteors you see will be long and long-lasting. They will shoot from the northeastern horizon in all directions. Most of them will hug the north or southeastern horizon. Occasionally you will see one shooting straight up and these will be a real treat.
As the night progresses the Geminid meteors will become shorter and will move in all directions, including downward toward the eastern horizon. Activity will also increase as the Geminid radiant (the area of the sky Geminid meteors appear to shoot from) climbs higher into the eastern sky. Near 10pm local standard time (LST), the Geminid radiant will lie approximately half-way up in the eastern sky. At this time viewers from the city can expect to see 10-20 Geminids per hour. If you live in the suburbs then hourly rates should be 20-30 Geminids per hour. If you live in rural areas then hourly rates should be 30-40 Geminids per hour. The reason for this difference is that most of the Geminid meteors are faint. Faint meteors, just like faint stars, are obscured by city lights. The darker your environment, the more meteors you will see.
Geminid activity will continue to increase until 2am LST, when the Geminid radiant will lie nearly overhead. At this time hourly rates should be near 20-30 for city viewers, 40-50 for suburban viewers, and 60-70 for rural viewers. Geminid meteors, like all shower meteors, will appear in “clumps”. One may see nothing for 5 minutes and then see 5 meteors within the next minute. This is why it is important that observers watch for as long as possible. If you watch for a short time you may be watching during a slump in activity and will be disappointed.
After 2am LST the Geminid radiant will drift lower in the western sky. Rates will slowly fall as the radiant altitude decreases.
Not all meteors seen this time of year are Geminids. There are other minor showers active which are both faster and slower than the Geminids. There are also random meteors not associated with any known shower. Roughly 80% of the meteors should be Geminids on December 13/14. This percentage will be less on nights away from maximum. Geminid meteors are of medium speed and their average duration is on the order of a half-second. Brighter Geminids will last longer and Geminid fireballs can last several seconds and exhibit brilliant colors such as orange and green.
I would advise potential viewers not the wait until December 13/14, just in case this night is cloudy. The night of December 11/12 is good and the 12/13th is almost as good as the night of maximum activity. Rates will fall by at least 50% each night after maximum so do not wait until the weekend or you will be out of luck.
Viewers all over the world can see this display of meteors. The only continent where the display is invisible is Antarctica. From there the radiant never rises above the horizon plus daylight lasts 24 hours this time of year. Viewers in the northern hemisphere have a distinct advantage as the nights are longer plus the Geminid radiant rises higher into the sky. Observers in Australia, southern Africa, and South America can best see Geminid activity near 0200 LST or 0300 local daylight saving time, when the radiant lies highest in their northern sky.
I will be happy to answer any questions you have concerning the Geminids right up to December 12, when I will be heading to the Mojave Desert to view the display. Before you ask please note that these meteors can be seen from anywhere north of Antarctica and that the best time to watch is 2am local standard time, no matter your location.
Clear Skies!
Robert Lunsford
American Meteor Society
What time will the meteors be visible in New York ? And which direction to look in ? ( NSEW ?) thanks !
Vicky,
The meteors will be visible all night long. The best time to look would be between 10pm and 2am on the night of December 13/14. During the evening hours look toward the east. After midnight, meteors will be falling in all directions.
I hope this helps!
Robert Lunsford
American Meteor Society
Thank you so much ! I hope we have a nice sky to view those meteors ! Enjoy ! 🙂
Could you give any advice about the best time to see meteors in Italy? I’m in Trento, city is located between mountains, so probably its better to go up? 🙂
Valeria,
If your view of the sky is obscured by the mountains then yes, it would be better to go up. The best time is the same everywhere, between 2200 and 0200 on Thursday night/Friday morning.
Good Luck!
Robert Lunsford
American Meteor Society
Mr. Lunsford…
We are a family of 5(3 adults + 2 kids) interested in traveling from New Jersey to upstate New York for watching a meteor shower event during the Christmas holidays… Any suggestions…best dates/times, any information sessions at all? Any viewing packages you can suggest? Never done this before but have heard it’s a wonderful experience.
Thank you.
Shilpa
Shilpa,
Unfortunately the meteor activity near Christmas is weak. The weather is often cloudy and very cold if it is clear this time of year. My suggestion would be to view the Geminid meteor shower this upcoming Thursday evening and Friday morning. If that does not fit into your schedule then wait until summertime, when the weather is warm and the meteor activity is better.
I hope this helps!
Robert Lunsford
American Meteor Society
Hello Robert,
Great information! What part of the Mojave are you planning on going to?
I think I will be heading out to Joshua Tree, as it’s slightly closer, but still remember the great conditions at the Kelso Dunes Campground from a few months ago. Are you going with a group?
Tony
Tony,
We will have a group of us from all over the USA out east of Barstow. Unfortunately it does not appear that the weather will cooperate 🙁
Robert Lunsford
American Meteor Society
I remembered this when I was on my way to work this morning at about 6:45 am I saw a meteor in the daylight. Something I have never seen before. It had a greenish color against the light blue sky. Hoping to see more tonight. The one I saw this morning was in the Portsmouth, NH area.
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