Overview
- The shower’s maximum falls in the night of December 13–14, with the peak around 09:00 CET on Sunday, making the pre‑dawn hours the prime window.
- Under ideal darkness, rates can reach about 100–150 meteors per hour, though institutions such as Haus der Astronomie estimate roughly 50 visible per hour in realistic Central European conditions.
- The German Weather Service calls visibility a “bit of a lottery” due to fog and low cloud, with the best chances in areas like the Hochschwarzwald, Hochalb, Alps and some higher Eifel and Harz spots, and poorer prospects in lowlands; northern regions may fare better locally.
- A waning crescent rises near 2:30 a.m. and should not wash out the display; look broadly across the sky as the radiant in Gemini climbs higher toward morning and no special equipment is needed.
- The Geminids originate from asteroid 3200 Phaethon rather than a comet, and how it supplies enough dust remains under study, with the Destiny Plus mission planned to probe the source later this decade.