The Geminids meteor shower will be spectacular this 2022. The celestial event will show up in the night sky before December ends.
(Photo : Photo credit should read MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images)
A photographer looks at the sky at night to see the annual Geminid meteor shower on the Elva Hill, in Maira Valley, near Cuneo, northern Italy on December 12, 2015. AFP PHOTO / MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP / MARCO BERTORELLO
If you are a space fan, then you should definitely watch this meteor shower.
Astronomers explained that Geminids are unique compared to other meteors.
Most meteor showers are debris from icy comets. On the other hand, Geminids come from the asteroid 3200 Phaethon.
Geminids Meteor Shower 2022 Guide
According to CNN's latest report, the Geminids meteor shower is active from Nov. 19 until Dec. 24. Its peak will be on the night of Dec. 13 to Dec. 14.
(Photo : Photo by STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images)
A meteor (L) from the Geminids meteor shower enters the Earth's atmosphere past the stars Castor and Pollux (two bright stars, R) on December 12, 2009 above Southold, New York. This meteor shower gets the name "Geminids" because it appears to radiate from the constellation Gemini.
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Robert Lunsford, a fireball report coordinator, said that between 30 to 40 Geminids meteors are expected to appear every hour during the meteor shower's period.
During its peak period, watchers can expect more than 120 meteors visible to the naked per hour. However, this will still depend if the sky is clear enough.
About the exact time, Lunsford said that watchers should observe the night sky between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. ET.
He added it is also better if people watch the meteor shower earlier in the evening since the moon is still below the horizon at that time.
Geminids Meteor Watching Tips
Before you go outside to see the Geminids meteor shower, you must ensure that you give your eyes around 30 to 45 minutes to adapt to the dark.
After that, you can follow these tips provided by EarthSky:
- Make sure you are in an area with no city lights.
- Go to a wide-open location so that you can easily see the sky.
- If ever you don't see meteors, just wait for one to two hours more.
If you are going to try and take some photos of the Geminids meteor shower, make sure that you have a smartphone with pro-camera mode and a tripod.
You can also bring a chair if you don't have a tripod. This will ensure that your device will not move when you take long-exposure shots.
Previously, various meteor showers also happened.
These include a meteor cluster captured over Hawaii using a Subaru-Asahi Sky camera.
Recently, the Tau Herculids meteor shower, which came from a crumbling comet, also appeared.
For more news updates about meteor showers and other celestial events, keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
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