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Spectacular Geminid Meteor Shower Awes Skywatchers Saturday, More Geminids To Come

By Anne Kennedy
Published on: 04:34 PST, Dec 14, 2014

Skywatchers in the Northern Hemisphere were treated to a spectacular Geminid meteor shower Saturday night. Don’t worry; if you missed the showers due to rain, light pollution or another problem, you can try to spot more meteors for the next few nights.

Whether you took in the meteor shower last night or missed it, you’ve got the perfect opportunity to give it another go as the Boston Globe says geminids are peaking again tonight.

Even experienced astrophiles found themselves marveling at the celestial display. In a live chat with NASA, Barbie from South Carolina said,

“I’ve been watching Geminids for over 40 years. This is the most spectacular I have ever witnessed.”

According to CNN, the Geminid meteor shower had been expected to peak just before dawn Saturday, with meteors falling through earth’s atmosphere at a rate of 100 to 120 per hour. Viewers captured and shared stunning images of the meteor shower in progress.

NASA says the best time to view tonight’s meteor shower is between 9 and 10 p.m. or during the predawn hours, since a quarter moon will brighten the sky and reduce visibility around midnight.

Where to look? Although shooting stars can appear anywhere in the night sky, the majority of them will appear to radiate from the constellation Gemini. If you are hoping to catch the meteor shower at 10 p.m. or so, face east and watch the sky’s halfway point. If you happen to be out around 1 a.m., you’ll see more meteors by looking straight up.

[Image courtesy of tamesidecitizen.blogspot.com]

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