air-and-space” target=”_blank”>Sky-gazers<.
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Caused by debris from 3200 Phaethon – which astronomers have argued to be both an extinct comet and an asteroid – the Geminids are denser than other meteors in other showers.
The density enables the Geminids to get as low as 29 miles above planet-earth” target=”_blank”>Earth’s surface< was almost 80% full at the peak of the Geminids, impacting viewing by washing out fainter meteors.
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The Geminids travel 78,000 mph, or 40 times faster than a speeding bullet.
Meteors appear all over the sky, with a predicted rate of closer to 30-40 meteors per hour at its peak in the Northern Hemisphere.
“Rich in green-colored fireballs, the Geminids are the only shower I will brave cold December nights to see,” Bill Cooke, lead for NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office, said in a statement.
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For best viewing – although meteor rates will be much lower – observers should stay away from planet-earth and lie on their back in the darkness, allowing time for eyes to adjust. This can take around 30 minutes.
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Looking at any screen will also ruin their night vision.
