Meteor Shower from Twins Constellation to Dazzle Thursday Night

December 12, 2018


From NASA, Exposure Capturing Geminids

The Meteors Are Coming! The Meteors Are Coming!

They won’t hit the Earth (Silly Fingers Crossed) but they will be real nice to look at.

The GEMINIDS are what meteor lovers usually think of as the best showers of the year (except after camping) and this is due to the individual meteors being so bright in the night sky.

The shower will peak in the middle of the night as December 13th Blends into December 14th.

If you want to check it out best, try the expected best time, at 2:00 AM, but they can be seen as early as 9PM.

This particular shower showcase is about 200 years old and was first observed in 1833 from a riverboat on the Mississippi.

Illustration of Gemini Constellation

The Geminids are known to source from the twin Gemini constellation, which is in the southwestern part of the sky (if you are in the Northern Hemisphere).

But don’t look at Gemini when the showers start, as the ones further will have traveled further and have longer star tails.

The best scenario is to go where there are no city lights and let your eyes adjust for at least 20 minutes. No telescope required.

This particular phenomenon is likely even better than when it was seen in the 1830’s as scientists say Jupiter is pulling the group closer to Earth than ever before.

But like I said, we are definitely safe from any notion of contact.

Right??       Right.