Geminid meteor shower 2022 – live: Biggest ‘shooting stars’ event of the year peaks tonight
Nasa says 30-40 Geminids meteors will be visible at its peak on Wednesday night
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The Geminid meteor shower is peaking on Wednesday night, with bright dazzling ‘shooting stars’ streaking across the sky.
The celestial event happens every December, though 2022 brings excellent viewing conditions across most of the UK.
It is unusual in that it is caused by the debris left behind by an asteroid. When the Earth moves through that trail of debris, the pieces smash into our atmosphere and light up as they do, appearing as streaking stars across the sky.
Usually, as many as 150 meteors per hour can be seen in the show, which makes it among the best of the year for actually spotting a meteor.
This year, the brightness of the Moon will have a slightly diminishing effect, with Nasa predicting between 30-40 meteors per hour.
Forecasts from the UK Met Office suggest ideal weather conditions on Wednesday night, with clear skies across most parts of the UK.
Where should you watch from?
ICYMI: To give yourself the best chance of seeing the meteors, you’re going to want to be in the best place. There are plenty of things to do to make sure you’re watching in the best way.
The usual advice is that it’s best to get away from buildings and other sources of light to watch the meteor shower. In many places, at this kind of year, that’s going to be very difficult, given the weather.
Because of the intensity of the moonlight this year, however, you might actually do well to sit in the shade of a house or a tree. That will help keep your view from being blocked by the bright Moon.
Otherwise, get into as wide open and dark space as you can, given the conditions. Light pollution like street lights will still make it harder to see the sky, so even a slight reduction in the amount of interference will help.
Once that’s done, look up. The meteors will appear to come from anywhere in the sky, so as long as you’re looking towards the stars you’re in with a chance of seeing one.
(They’ll appear to come from the Gemini constellation – hence their name – but looking just at that can actually limit the number you’ll see. Instead, pick a dark patch of the sky and stay alert.)
Geminid meteor shower gets underway in the UK
ICYMI: According to Anna Gammon-Ross, an astronomer at Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Geminid meteor shower will begin to be visible in the UK tonight from 6pm GMT. That’s right now, so if the skies are clear in your area, take a look outside.
“For the best chances to spot the Geminids, find a dark area of clear sky and allow around 20 minutes to let your eyes adapt to the dark,” she says. “It may also be advisable to lie down as you may be looking up for a long time.”
If you miss them tonight, don’t fret. Anna says they’ll still be visible up until 20 December.
How To Watch The Geminids Meteor Shower
How the Geminid Meteor Shower appeared last night
Here’s how the Geminid Meteor Shower appeared in Big Meadows in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, last night – courtesy of nature photographer Peter Forister.
The US still has a few hours to wait until the Sun falls and the shooting stars appear, but hopefully we’ll be getting some images of tonight’s shower in the UK.
Nasa predicts 30-40 Geminids meteors per hour tonight
Weather may be great (at least in the UK) for viewing the Geminids meteor shower tonight, but a recent full moon means it will be slightly harder than if the Moon was closer to a new moon.
Nasa predicts between 30-40 ‘shooting stars’ per hour at its peak.
“Don’t miss the annual Geminids meteor shower,” Nasa tweeted.
“A waning gibbous moon will make it harder to view most of the shower, but the Geminids burn so bright, up to 30-40 should be visible per hour!”
More spectacular pictures of Geminids posted
Insomnia sucks and sucks but I see the stars and maybe the Geminids. And that is nice. Always see the beauty in everything stupid. pic.twitter.com/F45pKizGqU
— Auri (@Auri_Imre) December 15, 2022
Best time to see Geminid Meteor Shower 2022 in the UK
Most of the UK and Ireland currently has remarkably good weather for viewing the Geminid Meteor Shower tonight, according to the latest forecasts from the Met Office.
Here’s how the weather map currently looks:
For anyone on the south coast or in East Anglia, don’t lose heart. The skies will clear as the night goes on, with the best views on offer in the early hours. Equally, anyone in Ireland are better off going outside now to check out the shower, as they might not have much longer to do so,
This is the current forecast from the Met Office for 5am:
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