It's the favorite time of the year for star-gazers and space enthusiasts alike, the Geminid Meteor Shower! Like the Peresids in August, for the Northern Hemisphere, the Geminids are one of the best and most consistent meteor showers. If viewed in good conditions, you could be able to see upwards of 60-80 meteors with the naked eye, with a possibility of seeing close to 100! So, you might be asking questions such as how can I see them? Where do I look? And what's the forecast for viewing these meteors? Well fear not, keep reading!
What are the Geminids? The Geminids are a meteor shower, which normally occurs when Earth crosses through the debris cloud of a comet or asteroid. In this case, the Geminids originate from the 3200 Phaethon, which is believed to be an asteroid, one of the only meteor showers to originate from an asteroid!
A Fun Meteor Fact: Although we see these bright streaky meteors, you might assume they are large. However, most meteors that enter the atmosphere are less than the size of a quarter. It is because they enter the atmosphere at thousands of miles per hour and burn up quickly, it creates bright streaks! These meteors are often visible to the naked eye.
How to view them: The most important thing is to get away from city lights. Although you can see them in the Omaha metro, only the brightest ones will be visible due to light pollution. A quick hour's drive in any direction from Omaha should be far enough to see more of them. If you live outside the Omaha metro, you can view them from your backyard. Once you are away, you can look in any direction to see them but orient yourself towards the eastern sky as they will look to radiate from the Gemini Constellation. Make sure once you are there you avoid any bright lights such as flashlights or cell phones, as your eyes will not adjust to the night sky. Then, enjoy the show! With 60-80 meteors possible per hour, you will see one roughly every minute.
When is the best time? The shower peaks this weekend. Anytime after dark is a good time, but the best time is after midnight as that's when it's the darkest outside. Another good thing about this meteor shower is it coincides with the new moon, which occurred last night, so the sky will be at its darkest.
Will the Weather Cooperate? If you plan on viewing them tonight, you should not have any issues with the weather. The skies should be mostly clear, although we could see a cloud or two. It will be cold, however, so bring items to keep you warm as temperatures will fall into the 30s to 20s overnight! After tonight, more clouds and rain chances enter the forecast, making viewing the meteor shower much more tricky, for a full look at the forecast you can click here.
