The Best Meteor Showers Of 2019, Pat Corden, astrophotography, tent, snow, mountains

 

The Geminid meteor shower is set to fly above Australian skies late this Sunday night and into early Monday morning. Here’s how to see it!

 

According to NASA, this annual celestial display is considered one of the best and most reliable meteor showers, with up to 120 meteors able to be spotted per hour in perfect conditions. That’s two meteors every minute!

What is the Geminid meteor shower?

Most meteor showers originate from comets, however the Geminid meteor shower started from a 5.1km wide asteroid known as 3200 Phaethon, which takes 1.4 years to orbit the sun.

The Geminid meteor shower first appeared in the sky in the mid-1800s, although it didn’t look anything like it does now. Back then, only around 10-20 meteors were seen per hour, and it’s continued to grow since, as more and more debris from the asteroid has joined the trail.

Instead of passing through a comet’s tail, Earth passes through the trail of Phaethon 3200, which sheds larger, tougher, and rockier debris than comets. This leads to brighter and more colourful meteors as the different metals in the rock burn up.

Read more: How to Be a Stargazing Know-It-All

Where to see the Geminid meteor shower?

Although this particular shower is best viewed from the northern hemisphere, the waning moon in Australia on Sunday evening will lead to more favourable conditions for meteor watching.

Peak viewing hours vary between 9pm and 6am, depending on your state. Here’s the breakdown:

  • NSW: 11pm Sunday, 14th of December – 6am Monday, 15th of December
  • VIC: 12am-6am Monday, December 15
  • QLD: 9pm Sunday, 14th of December – 5am Monday, 15th of December
  • WA: 10pm Sunday, 14th of December – 5am Monday, 15th of December
  • SA: 11.30pm Sunday, 14th of December – 5.30am Monday, 15th of December
  • ACT: 11pm Sunday, 14th of December – 6am Monday, 15th of December
  • TAS: 12am-5am Monday, 15th of December
  • NT: 9.30pm Sunday, 14th of December – 6.30am Monday, 15th of December

Grab some mates, head out bush, and watch the free show!

Tips for Watching the Geminid Meteor Shower

  • Head out bush – Get as far away from light pollution as you can for the best chance to see the meteors. I recommend the Warrumbungle Dark Sky Park, but anywhere up to an hour away from a major city, or half an hour from a town will work!
  • Take a torch with red light – You gotta keep your own light pollution to a minimum as well, so if you must use a light, make sure it’s a headtorch with a red light function
  • Download a stargazing app – Our resident stargazer, Saphira, reccomends Stellarium
  • Rug up – It can be nippy in the wee hours of the morning, so don’t forget to pack a jumper or even better a blanket or sleeping bag to snuggle into
  • Get horizontal – take a picnic blanket, stargazing chair, or your full sleep set-up and recline. You want to be able to take in as much as the sky at once as possible

 

Photo by @patcorden

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