Overview
- Earth passes through the Geminids from December 7–17, with the radiant near Castor in Gemini and the best viewing expected from around 8 p.m. until dawn on the night of December 13–14.
- Astronomer Susanne Hüttemeister describes the Geminids as the year’s strongest shower and notes the Moon will rise around 2:45 a.m. at only about 28% illumination, minimizing glare.
- Theoretical peak rates reach roughly 150 meteors per hour under ideal dark-sky conditions, though typical observers should expect far lower counts, around 20 per hour.
- Geminid meteoroids strike the atmosphere at about 35 km/s and can produce occasional bright fireballs, with naked-eye viewing from dark locations recommended over binoculars or telescopes.
- The Geminids originate from asteroid (3200) Phaethon, an unusual source that scientists still study, as attention turns from November’s already-peaked Leonids to December’s main event.