Stargazers get ready for a treat, as the Gemini meteor shower is set to peak on Dec. 13-14, during a new moon – the darkest time to view a meteor shower.
Scattered meteors will be visible on the nights of Dec. 11-12, however, peak time is Dec. 13 evening into early Dec. 14 morning.
“The Geminids are a very reliable shower if you watch at the best time of night, centered on about 2 a.m. for all parts of the globe, and if you watch in a dark sky,” EarthSky.org’s Bruce McClure and Deborah Byrd said.
The meteor shower will be more visible in the Northern Hemisphere, however, it will still be visible from the Southern Hemisphere. As a New Moon falls on Dec. 14, 2020, meteors will be more visible.
“On a dark night, near the peak, you can often catch 50 or more meteors per hour,” EarthSky.org’s McClure and Byrd said. “On an optimum night for the Geminids, it’s possible to see 150 meteors per hour … which might happen this year, given the moon-free skies accompanying this year’s Geminid meteor shower.”
NASA.gov said meteors seen within an hour depends on where people live – suburbs compared to the countryside, and those in larger cities should expect to see no meteors.
“The actual number for folks out in the dark countryside will be slightly more than 1 per minute,” according to NASA.gov. “Folks in suburbs will see fewer, 30 to 40 per hour depending on the lighting conditions. And those downtown in major cities will see practically nothing …”