You’ll be able to tune in to see stay views of the Geminid meteor bathe because it peaks in a single day on Dec. 13-14, due to a free livestream hosted by the Digital Telescope Undertaking. The annual bathe happens as Earth passes via the debris-strewn orbit of the wandering asteroid (3200) Phaethon.
If clouds conspire to damage your view — or if you happen to stay within the southern hemisphere, the place the bathe is not seen in any respect — the Digital Telescope Undertaking’s Livestream will assist be sure that you will not miss out on some of the spectacular pure gentle reveals of the 12 months.
The stream is ready to run till daybreak and can function views from the group’s super-wide-angle all-sky digicam situated in Manciano, Italy, which, in line with Digital Telescope Undertaking founder Gianluca Masi, is likely one of the darkest sky areas within the nation.
How to look for Geminids
Look for Geminid meteors streaking away from a point of origin close to the bright star Castor in the constellation Gemini, which rises above the eastern horizon a few hours after sunset and remains visible throughout the night. As such, Geminid shooting stars can be spotted from mid-evening until dawn. Moonlight shouldn’t spoil the show too badly this year, though a 26%-lit waning crescent moon rises an hour or two after midnight, which may make viewing slightly more challenging in the hours preceding sunrise.
Shooting stars become visible when particles shed by wandering comets or asteroids impact Earth’s atmosphere and vaporize in brief flashes of light., If you’re hoping to capture a photo of a meteor yourself, check out our guide to photographing shooting stars, along with our picks of the best cameras and lenses for imaging the night sky.
Editor’s Note: If you capture a shooting star and want to share your astrophotography with Space.com’s readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
