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#883281 12/03/14 11:48 AM
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We expect the Geminid meteor shower to peak on Saturday night the 13-14 of December. Earth is already on the edges of the debris stream from 3200 Phaeton. It's particles from this debris that shoot through the sky and create the meteors. Spaceweather.com reports that the NASA all-sky cameras have already reported a number of fireballs (very bright meteors). That seems to be somewhat early for the Geminids, so they are probably sporadics.

A sporadic meteor is one that hasn't originated in a specific cometary debris stream. A Geminid meteor appears to have come from the constellation Gemini. Gemini is the “radiant” for the Geminid shower.

This article is about meteor showers. It tells about the summer Perseids, but most of it is also relevant to other showers.

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Here is a diagram for northern hemisphere observers showing the radiant of the Geminid meteor shower. This is where the meteors will appear to originate if they are Geminids. But you may also see some random meteors that aren't part of the shower.

Also be aware that you don't have to stare at Gemini to see meteors. The movement may be away from Gemini, but you might see them throughout a large portion of the sky.

Southern hemisphere skywatchers may also see Geminids, but not as many. The radiant is below the horizon there.

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We're moving deeper into the debris stream, and things are definitely getting more exciting. According to Space Weather.com, this morning Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar showed a hot spot where Geminid meteors were hitting the atmosphere at 78,000 mph. Wow!

Remember: the peak of the meteor shower is expected on Saturday night/Sunday morning (Dec 13-14). You might see a Geminid anytime now, though the bright Moon is currently washing out most of them. But since the Moon is waning, by Saturday the sky will be darker. (Unless you're in a place where artificial light pollution is strong.)

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Already last night NASA's all-sky cameras detected 22 Geminid fireballs over the USA. A fireball is an exceptionally bright meteor, and the most spectacular Geminids are bright enough to cast shadows.

The Geminids are expected to peak tomorrow (Saturday) night with up to 120 meteors per hour. (But that would be in clear, dark sky sites after midnight.) The shower usually starts around 9 - 10 pm local time, so even the kids could stay up and watch.

Some hints: Wrap up warmly, and get yourself a reclining lawn chair or camping mattress, so you can look up without making your neck and shoulders ache.

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The Virtual Telescope Project will be doing live, realtime images of the meteor shower Saturday night - well, early Sunday - at 2.00 a.m. UT, which is Greenwich Mean Time. That's 9.00 p.m. EST and 6 p.m. PST in the USA. This means that in the Americas you could watch the webcast as a preview and still have a chance to go out and see the Geminids for yourself!

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The Geminid meteor shower has peaked, but it's not over yet. SpaceWeather reports that NASA's all-sky camera network detected 145 Geminid fireballs over the USA alone last night. There will be fewer tonight, but Earth is still moving through the debris stream. Tonight should also yield a fair number of meteors – between 10pm and sunrise (local time) is the best time to see them. Given clear skies, there should be more meteors to see for several more days.

Another tip: Don't go outside and give up after twenty minutes if you haven't seen anything. You need that long for your eyes to adapt to the dark. So be sure give yourself some time after that.

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The Geminids were widely seen last weekend. SpaceWeather's meteor gallery was full of photos from around the world. Some lucky souls managed to see not only meteors but also an aurora. I thought these would all be people in the far north. But here is a photo from the southern hemisphere which included a meteor and the aurora australis.

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As ever, there are so many beautiful Geminid photos. But I chose two to share.

The first one shows a Geminid over Mt Fuji which is also reflected in a lake.

The second is from Beijing, a stacked image showing a number of meteors over 140 minutes of observing. Sigh. What a night it must have been.


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