The Geminids are the most spectacular meteor shower of the year. In addition to boasting up to 120 or even 150 meteors per hour during its peak, this meteor shower is also the brightest and most colorful of the year.
Geminids are bright, slow-moving meteorites that are often yellow in color, but they can also be many other colors, including green, blue, white, red, or orange. And unlike most meteors, which are caused by comet debris, the Geminids are the remains of an asteroid.
On the night the Geminids are at their peak, their brightness, the Gemini constellation, will remain above the horizon all night and reach its highest point around 2 a.m. local time, so the meteors will be visible almost all night.
That same night, the moon will be about 32 percent illuminated and will rise around 1:30 a.m. in the eastern US, so if you see this shower shortly after midnight, the moonlight won’t interfere with your viewing experience.
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Ursids (December)
The Ursids are active around December 17 to December 26, peaking in the early morning hours of December 22. This meteor shower is less active than others, typically producing about 10 meteors per hour; However, viewing conditions will be perfect for skywatching. The moon will set around 6 pm in the eastern US on the 21st, so no moonlight will interfere with this meteor shower.
Although the Ursids typically produce the most meteors just before dawn when its brightness, the Little Dipper (or Ursa Minor), is highest in the sky, you’ll be able to see meteors all night during the peak of this shower. In northern latitudes the glow of the Ursids remains above the horizon all night.
waiting for next year’s rain
Quadrangle (January)
The Quadrantids occur in December and January and peak during the first week of the year. The peak of this meteor shower is intense, meaning that most of its activity occurs in a narrow window of time. The Quadrantids typically produce many fireball meteors – that is, meteors that are very bright – up to 120 meteors per hour during the peak of the shower.
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