December‘s Celestial Highlights: The Geminid Meteor Showerโข and More
December โoffers a wealth of astronomical events, headlined โขbyโ the peak of the Geminid meteor shower, a primeโฃ opportunity for stargazers.โ while activity โbegins December 4th, the shower reaches its maximum between the nights of December 13th and 14th. Under ideal, โdark-sky conditions, observersโ coudl witness up to 150 meteors per hour.
The Geminids appearโ to radiate โขfrom the constellation gemini, near the star โฃCastor, though experts recommend looking slightly away โfrom the constellation to โobserve meteors with โขlonger, more โคvisible trails. For โฃthose north โof the equator, observations can begin in the afternoon; southern hemisphere observers should look for meteors around local midnight. The peak viewing time is expected around โ2:00 AM local time, whenโ the โradiant point is highestโข inโ the sky.
No special equipment is needed to enjoy the Geminids – just 20 minutes of darkness to allow your eyes toโ adjust and a โlocation away from cityโ lights.
Beyond โขthe Geminids, โฃDecember’sโ skies hold โฃother noteworthy events. The year’s โfinal supermoon โoccurred on Decemberโข 4th, when the full moon was at itsโค closest โขpoint to Earth.On December 7th, a nearly full moon (90% illuminated) โpassed close to โjupiter. The darkest night of the month will be on December 20th with the new moon.
December 21st marks the โDecemberโฃ solstice, signifying the start of โคwinter in the Northern โHemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere. The Ursid meteor shower, a more โsubtle displayโค with 5-10 meteors per hour, willโค follow between December 22nd and โข23rd,โค concluding โthe year’s major meteorโค events.
