Image credit: Genevieve de Messieres/Shutterstock
Geminids Meteor Shower 2019
On Saturday 14– Sunday 15 December 2019, the Geminids meteor shower will grace our skies with one of the most spectacular displays to be viewed from Earth this year.
The meteor shower will begin on Saturday, with the best viewing anytime after midnight and peak viewing around 5:40am (AEST) on Sunday, when more than 100 multi-coloured meteors will glide across the sky.
There will be a full moon during the shower, but astrophysicists suspect, given the abundance and brightness of the meteors, people will still see an average 20–40 meteors an hour.
Viewers do not need binoculars or a telescope to see the shower, you just need to give your eyes about 15–20 minutes to adjust to the night sky.
What is the Geminids Meteor Shower?
The Geminids meteor shower occurs at a similar time each year, when Earth passes through a cloud of debris from a parent asteroid, named 3200 Phaethon.
Compared to other meteor showers, the Geminids is a relatively new phenomenon, observed for the first time only 150 years ago. This is because the orbit of the debris cloud (along with Phaethon) is rapidly shifting over time.
As its trajectory wobbles around the Sun, the centre of the Geminids orbit is moving closer to Earth with each year, which is why it has become more visible in the last century and a half.
Emerging out of the constellation Gemini (hence the name), the Geminids are generally very bright, and travel at a medium speed which is perfect for viewing.
Click HERE to track the Geminids
For more information and all enquiries please visit the National Geographic website here
What: Geminids Meteor Shower
When: Saturday 14 – Sunday 15 December 2019 | After midnight
Where: Australia
Who: Everyone
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
Image Source: National Geographic website (Image credit: Genevieve de Messieres/Shutterstock)
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