{"id":421,"date":"2021-12-06T12:17:55","date_gmt":"2021-12-06T11:17:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sciencefocus.com\/?p=105880"},"modified":"2021-12-06T12:33:11","modified_gmt":"2021-12-06T11:33:11","slug":"how-to-see-the-geminid-meteor-shower-2021","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/rss_feed\/how-to-see-the-geminid-meteor-shower-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"How to see the Geminid meteor shower 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Amy Barrett\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Monday, 06 December 2021 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Nobody said stargazing was glamorous, but if you\u2019re willing to wrap up warm and head out under the stars early in the morning, you\u2019ll be in with a chance of seeing the Geminid meteor shower.<\/p>\n

The celestial spectacle is set to shoot streaks of light across the night sky from 4 \u2013 17 December, peaking on the morning of the 14 December.<\/p>\n

The Geminids may not be the most active shower of the year, but amateur astronomers in the UK can still expect to see an estimated 60 meteors each hour during its peak.<\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s the best way of making sure you see the Geminid meteor shower? What causes it in the first place? And when exactly should you look for it? All of this (and more) is answered below by Professor Simon Green<\/a>, one of the astronomers who discovered the source of the Geminid meteors in 1983.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for more stargazing tips, be sure to check out our astronomy for beginners<\/a> guide and our\u00a0full Moon UK<\/a> calendar.<\/p>\n

When can you see the Geminid meteor shower 2021 in the UK?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Geminids are expected between 4 \u2013 17 December 2021, and they\u2019ll peak early in the morning of 14 December.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most important thing is that if you want to observe the Geminids, you have to go out preferably after midnight,\u201d says Green. \u201cThe constellation of Gemini, which is where the Geminids appear to come from, will be high in the sky around 1\u20132am.\u201d<\/p>\n

Green says that the Geminid meteor shower is quite reliable, and stargazers see roughly the same numbers of meteors every year.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, this year there is a very bright blue Moon which doesn\u2019t set until about 3am,\u201d says Green. \u201cA bright Moon makes the sky bright, which makes it hard to see the meteors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year, the best time to go I would say is to go out about 3:30 in the morning and look up. Gemini is still quite high at that point, but the sky will be much darker.\u201d<\/p>\n

What should you do to get the best chance of seeing them?<\/h2>\n

To get the best view of the Geminid meteor shower, you\u2019ll need to head out a bit earlier so that you can find a dark spot and let your eyes get used to the darkness for 20-30 minutes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWrap up very warm. Take a chair out, maybe a hot water bottle and a sleeping bag,\u201d suggests Green. \u201cThen just look up. You don\u2019t need binoculars, you don\u2019t need anything: just your eyes. Then you should see a meteor every minute or two.\u201d<\/p>\n

\""The\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
The 2020 Geminid meteor shower was photographed at Brimham Rocks, in the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in North Yorkshire \u00a9 Alamy<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

The meteors will appear to come from the Gemini constellation, which you can find using a star chart or an astronomy app<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t know the sky, it won\u2019t matter, as you don\u2019t really need to find Gemini,\u201d says Green. \u201cBecause the direction that the meteors appear to be coming from is not necessarily the direction you want to look at. You actually want to look to one side so you see them flying past.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey tend to go across the whole sky, and if you\u2019re out stargazing with the family you can look in opposite directions of the sky and just shout each time you see one. By the time somebody turns around, it will have gone, but between you you can have a competition who sees the most.\u201d<\/p>\n

Where do the Geminid meteors come from?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Though they appear to originate from the Gemini constellation, the meteors actually come from an asteroid called 3200 Phaethon \u2013 an asteroid that was discovered by Green and a team of astronomers nearly 40 years ago.<\/p>\n

Green was part of a team in 1983 that was set up to discover new, fast moving asteroids.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn fact we discovered six comets from May to November that year, but I was getting a bit despairing that we would find any asteroids, which is what we were looking for,\u201d recalls Green.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen we got to November, and this incredibly bright source appeared. It was seen multiple times moving and I was absolutely certain it was real.\u201d<\/p>\n

Verified a few weeks later, Green and the team went on to calculate the asteroid\u2019s orbit. They realised that 3200 Phaethon\u2019s orbit was rather unusual.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt went closer to the Sun than any of the known asteroids,\u201d said Green.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen after the orbit was defined, famous cometary scientist Fred Whipple noticed that the orbit looked the same as the orbits of the Geminid meteor stream.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n