The Geminid Meteor Shower, an annual celestial display renowned for its bright and frequent meteors, will peak on the nights of 13 – 14 December. As one of the most reliable meteor showers, the Geminids promise a dazzling show for those who venture out under the dark sky.

Those keen to catch the meteor shower should look for a wide-open viewing area with minimal light pollution after 11pm on 13-14 December. Weather permitting, keen observers can simply gaze skyward for a view of spectacular “shooting stars” across the entire sky with their naked eyes.

Image credit: Pixabay

In anticipation of this phenomenon, Science Centre Observatory has put some FAQs, to address various questions on the phenomenon and share more about its origins.

1. What are meteors and where do they come from?

Meteors are rocks that enter Earth’s atmosphere at speeds that causes the light around them to glow and burn up. These are the streaks of light that one may see going across the sky in matter of seconds. They are also often referred to as “shooting stars”.

Meteors are within our solar system. They can originate from various sources – such as comets, asteroids, and other planets.

2. What is the difference between a meteor, a meteorite, and a meteoroid?

When a part of an asteroid breaks off and it is still in space, it becomes a meteoroid. When the meteoroid is in Earth’s atmosphere, it becomes a meteor.

If a part of the meteor survives its journey through the Earth’s atmosphere and lands on the Earth’s surface, it is called a meteorite.

3. What is a meteor shower and how often do they occur?

A meteor shower is a celestial event in which a number of meteors are observed to radiate, or come from, from one point in the night sky. Meteor showers are formed when the Earth travels through a cloud of interplanetary debris left behind from the tail of a comet or asteroid that has thrown out large amounts of materials.

While the Earth orbits the Sun and crosses into these dust streams or debris trails, the materials collide into Earth’s atmosphere and burn up, leaving a streak in the sky which is what we see as meteors.

Earth goes through these dust streaks every year, so we can predict when these meteor showers happen on an annual basis.

Geminid Meteor Shower taking place this December

1. What is the Geminid meteor shower?

Unlike most meteor showers which originate from comets, the Geminids are produced by debris from an asteroid, known as 3200 Phaeton. The asteroid debris heat up as they enter Earth’s atmosphere, creating spectacular “shooting stars” that form the meteor shower. The Geminids typically peak during mid-December every year and are considered one of the best and most reliable annual meteor showers.

2. Why is this meteor shower called Geminids?

Meteors in annual showers are named after the location in the sky where they seem to originate. For instance, the Geminids are named for their radiant point near the constellation Gemini, also known as the “Twins.”

3. When will the Geminid meteor shower take place?

The Geminid meteor shower is active between 19 November and 24 December. The Geminids will peak between 13 to 14 December and are best viewed after 11pm, when the environment and sky is as dark as it can get.

4. How often does the Geminid meteor shower take place?

The Geminids are an annual meteor shower it peaks during mid-December every year.

5. What can we expect to see during the Geminid meteor shower?

Meteors can leave glowing trails in their wake which can last for up to a few minutes. During its peak, and under ideal weather conditions, up to 120 Geminids meteors can be seen per hour. Bright and fast, the Geminids are considered one of the best meteor showers every year.

6. How can I get the best view of this occurrence in Singapore?

The Geminids will appear across the entire sky, hence keen observers should seek a wide-open viewing area after 11pm, when the environment and sky is as dark as possible.

Singapore’s light pollution, weather conditions and frequent cloud cover can also affect visibility of this occurrence. As such, observers should seek darker locations with a clear, unobstructed view of the sky such as parks, beaches, reservoirs, or open spaces away from city lights. They should also check the weather forecast for clear skies.

7. Is any special equipment required to view this?

No special equipment is required to view this meteor shower as they can be seen with the naked eye. Also because the meteors can appear from anywhere in the sky, we recommend stargazing with naked eyes for the widest view possible.

Contributed by Science Centre Observatory.

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