Geminids Meteor Shower to peak on Dec 14 & 15; Know all about its origin, date & time

Stargazers are advised to buckle up as they will witness the Geminid Meteor Shower which is expected to peak on the night of December 14 into the morning of December 15. Caused by debris from a celestial object known as 3200 Phaethon, the Geminids will remain active till December 17 and will only be visible in the northern hemisphere regions. However, those in the southern region need not worry as NASA is all set to live stream the celestial event which can be watched from any corner of the world. However, first, let us take a quick lesson about what the Geminid meteor shower really is about.

Meteor shower with unknown origin

As mentioned above, the Geminid meteors are basically the debris that emerged from 3200 Phaethon, however, the origin of the latter is disputed. According to NASA, current theories argue that it is an extinct comet whereas its orbit and similarity to the main-belt asteroid Pallas has made some astronomers think of it as an asteroid. As for its name 'Geminids', NASA explains that the nomenclature is based on the apparent origin point of Geminids which is from the constellation Gemini. Interestingly, the Geminids cruise through the sky at a speed of 35 km/s which is over 40 times faster than a speeding bullet and about 250 times faster than the swiftest car in the world.

When and where to watch the Geminid shower?

Only those living in countries in the northern hemisphere will be lucky enough to marvel at the meteor shower as the celestial point in the sky where the Geminid meteors appear to originate gets nearer to the horizon as one heads toward the south pole, according to NASA. However, even the northern hemisphere will face some challenges as the Moon will be almost 80% full at the peak of the Geminids and might diminish the glow of the meteors. 

if you're lucky enough, you'll be able to witness almost 30-40 meteors per hour cruising through the night sky. For experiencing the celestial event, you can tune in to the NASA Meteor Watch Facebook page at 8 p.m. CST on December 13 in the US and 7:30 am on December 14, owing to the time zone. It is worth mentioning, that it will likely be daytime in India when the Geminids reach their peak. 

(Image: Twitter/@NASAGoddard)