As people cling up holiday visible light around their home base in December , the cosmos will be put on its own sparkling show . The annualGeminid meteor showerreaches apex activity on December 14 in 2023 . Here ’s everything you ask to know to get the last meteor shower of the year .
What Makes the Geminid Meteor Shower Special?
Unlike most meteor showers , the Geminids are n’t produced by acomet . They instead take place when Earth passes behind3200 Phaethon , a heavenly aim that leaves a trail of space sway like a comet but is more similar to anasteroid .
This “ rock comet ” is small than a veritable comet , but it produces meteors that place it among the most dramatic showers of the year . Because 3200 Phaethon ’s debris is denser than that of a comet , it drop more fourth dimension burning up in Earth ’s atmosphere and burns bright . The shot stars are also abundant ; under ideal status , you could expect to see 120 shooting star per hour at the event ’s peak .
How to See the Geminid Meteor Shower in 2023
Though the Geminids have been alive since November 19 , they will hit peak activity at 2:27 p.m. EST on Thursday , December 14 . The good times to see them are the even of December 13 to other morn of December 14 and the evening of December 14 to the early morning of December 15 . They ’re best view from the Northern Hemisphere , but if you live south of the equator you still may be able to catch them sporadically in the early sunrise hour .
Stargazers are in fate this year : the shower ’s peak coincides with a very immature waxing crescentmoon(the young moon occurs on December 12 ) . That means skies will be quite dark and moonlight wo n’t rinse out the shooting star ’ grandeur . Viewers should still find a post in their sphere with minimal light defilement for an optimum experience .
A version of this story was published in 2022 ; it has been updated for 2023 .
