Geminids 2017: What time is the Geminid meteor shower in YOUR area? Time and location
THE most thrilling meteor shower of the year is about to begin. Find out when and where you can watch the Geminids light up the night sky tonight.
The Geminids have been known to produce more than 100 meteors an hour during their peak and stargazers are expecting a dazzling show tonight.
According to Royal Observatory Greenwich (ROG), the meteor shower will produce upwards of 75 shooting stars an hour tonight.
The stunning display of burning meteors will break out over Earth between the late evening hours of Wednesday December 13 and dawn on Thursday December 14.
But in the unfortunate event that you miss the shower’s peak tonight, you should still be able to see individual meteors up until Saturday December 16.
ROG teased: “The Geminid meteor shower is the last of the year’s major showers, and can generally be relied on to put on a good display.”
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What time will the Geminids appear in your area?
NASA advises all astronomy boffins to seek out the Geminids between midnight and pre-dawn hours on Thursday, when the peak is at its most intense.
But you should be able to spot individual falling stars as early as sunset local time, when darkness of night slowly engulfs the planet.
The Geminid meteors should be visible all across the globe thanks to their bored 24-hour spectrum, but NASA said they still prefer the northern hemisphere.
Stargazers in the UK, will the sun set today at around 3.51pm over London, at 5.42pm in Glasgow and viewers in Cardiff will see the sunset at 4.03pm.
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Heading over the Atlantic, the sun will set over New York at 4.28pm local time and at 4.51pm local time in San Francisco.
At 9pm GMT on Wednesday night, the Geminids meteor shower dazzled stargazers in eastern Europe.
Stunning images show the meteor shower light up the sky behind an Orthodox church near the village of Zagorie in Belarus.
Hunting for meteors, like the rest of astronomy, is a waiting game
Stargazers in Melbourne, Australia, will see the sun set later in the day at 8.36pm local time.
Meanwhile audiences in Moscow, Russia, will see the sun go down as early as 3.56pm local time.
Click here to find out when the sun will set in your specific area.
How to see the Geminid meteors
According to Royal Observatory Greenwich, the only thing you will need with you tonight is your eyes.
The Observatory said: "Hunting for meteors, like the rest of astronomy, is a waiting game, so it's best to bring a comfy chair to sit on and to wrap up warm as you could be outside for a while.
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"They can be seen with the naked eye so there's no need for binoculars or a telescope, though you will need to adjust your eyes to the dark."
For the most optimal viewing experience, you should aim to stay away from bright sources of light and be on the lookout for clear skies.
The presence of a waxing crescent moon this month should aid you because it will not obscure the shower with moonlight.
Once the meteors break out into the sky from their radiant point near the Gemini constellation, they will dash in every direction imaginable.
But if you find the though of braving the winter chill too daunting, then you can watch the meteor shower from the comfort of your home.
Click here to watch the Geminid meteor shower livestream.
What are the geminid meteors?
The dazzling shooting stars are the space debris left behind in the wake of the barreling asteroid 3200 Phaethon.
The Geminid meteors are of particular interest to scientists because they appear to intensify in strength every year.
Astronomers think that this may be due to Jupiter’s gravity pulling the meteor closer to Earth.
Since being discovered in the mid-1880s, the geminids have grown from 10 to 20 meteors an hour to upwards of 100.
