How to see the Geminid rain in December

The month of December will be characterized by the prominence that the Moon will have with the conjunctions between Venus and Saturn. These events will begin on December 6 when Venus and our natural satellite will appear relatively close together in the sky at dusk. Also, the next day, December 7, the Moon will give us another show with Saturn.

But, astronomical events will not be complete without the impressive meteor shower known as the Geminids.

Geminid Rain

This shower of stars, in this 2021 will have its maximum peak the night of December 13-14.

This phenomenon is produced by the disintegration of small particles that enter the Earth’s atmosphere, which are detached from the asteroid (3200) Phaethon and are in orbit around the Sun. It is estimated that this year approximately 120 meteors can be observed per hour.

This meteor shower is one of the best of the year and can be seen from 10:00 p.m. on Monday, December 13 until an hour before sunrise on Tuesday.

Solar eclipse and solstice, between the astronomical events of December 2021

This is one of the best rains in the Northern Hemisphere and is visible, albeit at lower rates, in the Southern Hemisphere. Meteors abound, rivaling the August Perseids. Geminids are usually bold, white and bright. On a dark night, 50 or more meteors per hour can often be captured in a dark, moonless sky. EarthSky site. Most meteors tend to fall in the first hours after midnight, centered around 2 a.m. local time (the time on your watch no matter where you are on Earth). This is when the radiant point is highest in your local sky.

The radiant point of these Geminids almost coincides with the bright star Castor in Gemini. That’s a casual alignment, of course, since Castor is about 52 light-years away, while these meteors burn up in the upper atmosphere about 100 km above Earth’s surface. Castor is remarkably close to another bright star, Gemini’s gold star Pollux. They are fun to watch, but you don’t have to find the radiant point of a meteor shower to see them. Meteors in annual showers appear everywhere in the sky. It is even possible to have your back turned to the constellation Gemini and see a Geminid meteor pass by. (I)