This meteor shower can be observed during the month of December between the 7th and 17th.
The Geminid rain is one of the most intense along with the Perseids in August and the Quadrantids in January. For the early morning of next Tuesday a peak of 120 meteors per hour is expected during the maximum activity.
The Astronomical Observatory of Quito of the National Polytechnic School explains that the origin of this rain is not associated with a comet (as usual), but with the asteroid (3200) Phaeton, which has a translation period of 1.4 years around the Sun . The rain is called the Geminids, since this phenomenon is observable in the constellation of Gemini.
This meteor shower can be observed during the month of December between the 7th and 17th, throughout the night (from 9:00 p.m. to sunrise). Over the course of the night, the rain will follow a path from the northeast (dusk) to the northwest (dawn), finding itself near the zenith (above our heads) at 01h00 in the morning of December 14, reported the Observatory in a newsletter.
During the night of maximum activity, the Moon will hide at 02:30 in the morning, so from this moment on there will be a completely dark sky, allowing the meteor shower to be observed with greater clarity.
To appreciate this event, it is not necessary to use telescopes or special optical instruments, as it will be visible to the naked eye. The meteor shower will not be observable from the cities and populated centers, due to the existence of light pollution, so for its full observation it is recommended to go to a remote and dark place.
The Observatory does detail that to observe the Geminid rain, it is necessary that the sky is clear. (I)
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