Overview
- The peak is forecast for the night of December 13–14, with activity visible from about 20:00 through the pre-dawn hours.
- Under ideal dark-sky conditions the theoretical rate can reach roughly 150 meteors per hour, though typical observers should expect much lower counts.
- Experts highlight unusually good viewing this year thanks to a waning, low-illumination moon that rises late, reported around 2:45 with about 28% illumination.
- Observers are advised to use the naked eye from a dark location because meteors can appear anywhere in the sky and optical aids narrow the field of view.
- Geminid particles hit the atmosphere at about 35 km/s and can produce bright fireballs, with a radiant in Gemini near the star Castor.