While there are a number of meteor showers all year long, the Geminid Meteor Shower will be the most spectacular of all.
Last year, the famous annual occurrence was less intense than usual, due to the fact that the 2016 supermoon made the sky significantly less dark. Now, the sky is significantly darker, and therefore provides optimal viewing in Metro Vancouver.
Last month, the Leonid Meteor Shower illuminated Metro Vancouver skies on November 17th; however, with spectacularly bright meteors dashing across the sky at 120 kilometres per hour, this month’s show is breathtaking.
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The Geminid Meteor Shower
“The Geminid meteor shower is nearly 200 years old, according to known records — the first recorded observation was in 1833 from a riverboat on the Mississippi River — and is still going strong. In fact, it’s growing stronger. That’s because Jupiter’s gravity has tugged the stream of particles from the shower’s source ― the asteroid 3200 Phaethon ― closer to Earth over the centuries,” reports Space.com.
Emanating from the bright constellation of Gemini, the shower is close near the three easily spotted stars that comprise Orion’s belt. Specifically, they are just right of his belt in the northeastern skies.
While stargazers may soak in the magic from December 4th – 23rd, the peak of the display will be on December 13th and 14th. As with most celestial displays, somewhere far from light pollution is ideal. In addition, you should give your eyes about 20 – 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness.