The year’s final big meteor shower peaks Wednesday night -- and Michiganders will have a chance to catch it, if the weather cooperates.
The Geminids meteor shower, which peaks during mid-December each year, is considered to be one of the best and most reliable annual meteor showers.
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According to NASA, the Geminids first began appearing in the mid-1800s. However, the first showers were not noteworthy with only 10 to 20 meteors seen per hour. During its peak, 120 Geminid meteors can be seen per hour under perfect conditions. The Geminids are bright and fast meteors and tend to be yellow in color.
Here’s what NASA says about viewing:
The Geminids are best viewed during the night and predawn hours and are visible across the globe due to a nearly 24-hour broad maximum. This shower is considered one of the best opportunities for young viewers since this shower starts around 9 or 10 p.m.
To view the Geminids, find an area well away from the city lights or street lights. Come prepared for winter temperatures with a sleeping bag, blanket, or lawn chair. Lie flat on your back with your feet facing south and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible. After about 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will begin to see meteors. Be patient – the show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse.
Note: The constellation for which a meteor shower is named only serves to aid viewers in determining which shower they are viewing on a given night. The constellation is not the source of the meteors. Also, you should not look only to the constellation of Gemini to view the Geminids – they are visible throughout the night sky.
So what about here in Michigan?
Well, as always, it depends on the weather. We also have a Waning Gibbous moon tonight, which adds some light to the sky, making them harder to see.
4Warn Weather meteorologist Brandon Roux says that viewing tonight, for the peak, will not be ideal. We have storms moving in, and the cloud cover, even without rain or snow, will likely be pretty stubborn across the area.
But fear not -- a peak is just based on meteors per hour. But the meteor shower itself should appear through the weekend, and we’ll have some better skies (not perfect, but better), on Thursday and Friday.
You can track live radar (and cloud cover) here, or by downloading the free 4Warn Weather app on your mobile device.