”Geminids Meteor Shower 2022 peak on 14th December Night” written by Saikiran Kumbhar.
Are you excited about the upcoming year? Needless to say, YES..!, but before that, witness some colossal spectacle of meteor showers this December. Get ready to encounter a two-week-long glee of the strongest meteor shower of the year- the Geminids. The Geminids meteor shower 2022 which occurs annually exhibits its extravaganza between 5th Dec-17th Dec and peaks around 14th-15th of the month. During its peak, around 120-130 meteors per hour can be seen. The only hurdle this year is the waning gibbous Moon around the peak but, we are hoping to grab at least some of the brightest meteors.
The Geminids are seen when the Earth passes through a massive trail of dusty debris shed by a weird, rocky object, named 3200 Phaethon. The dust trails and pebbles burn up when they run into Earth’s atmosphere in a gust of “shooting stars”. Phaethon’s nature is debated. It is either a near-Earth asteroid, or an extinct comet, or a rock comet.
Most of the meteor showers are shed by comets when their orbits take them into the inner Solar System, but it’s quite different for the Geminids. The debris from this may be due to a long rupture or collision event. Whatever happened back in time it must have been quite a phenomenal activity. Interestingly, the Geminids have more mass than any other meteor shower, including the Perseids meteor shower.
So, what should you do this year to watch the Geminids Meteor Shower?
It’s quite plain sailing. At its peak, the Moon, with a phase of 69%, a waning gibbous Moon, won’t let you enjoy the amazing spectacle. But if you are very eager to see some of the brightest meteors, find the darkest place away from the city lights Like Stargazing Mumbai Dehene site and give your eyes some time to adapt to the dark and avoid using your smartphone, as it will reduce your night vision.
As the night forges ahead, the shower rate will increase; the peak time of the Geminids meteor shower is around 2 a.m local time. This year the bright and white waning gibbous Moon will rise late in the evening and set in the next morning so the visibility is not the best, but you will be able to spot some of the brightest meteors. The stargazers, from the northern hemisphere, have an excellent field of vision compared to the stargazers in the southern hemisphere. Special equipment? Nothing required. Maybe you need some snacks and a blanket to lie down to watch this spectacle.
Bear in mind that you are having a clear dark sky to catch some bright meteors. The Geminids are rich, beautiful green fireballs. So give yourself an early Christmas treat by watching the celestial fireworks.
Hundreds, Thousands of stars,
Marching towards the Earth, from the Milky Way band;
Are they an Army,
To seize our homeland?
We Hope, not so.
If you observe the Geminids and are lucky enough to take the snapshots, tag us on our social media handles we will get to you for the repost.
Moreover, if you are interested to see the spectacle of the universe we, Stargazing Mumbai always host a special event for the Geminids Meteor Shower. Visit our website to know more about this special event.
What to expect during our Geminids Meteor Shower Event 2022
As the geminids meteor shower is an annually occurring phenomenon there are quite a few sessions by our experts shedding some myths, stories of ancient legends and the scientific sessions on the meteor shower answering all your “ why’s, and how’s” and some fun discussion and activities to get you to glance the glimpse of fireworks of the universe.
