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A composite photo from the Geminid meteor shower, which peaks overnight on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 13 and 14, 2025<\/p>\n
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When is the Geminid meteor shower? The most prolific and impressive display of \u201cshooting stars\u201d will peak overnight on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 13 and 14, giving skywatchers the chance to see up to 100 meteors an hour under perfect conditions. There will also be a bonus view of bright planet Jupiter<\/a> shining in the shower\u2019s radiant constellation. <\/p>\n A \u201cshooting star\u201d is a meteor that burns up in the Earth\u2019s atmosphere after striking it at about 22 miles\/sec (35 kilometers\/sec). As the particles glow brightly before being destroyed, a streak of light lasting a split second is seen from Earth. As a bonus, Geminids tend to be colored \u2014 typically greenish, but sometimes blueish and yellowish.<\/p>\n ForbesWhat That Bright \u2018Christmas Star\u2019 In The East Really IsBy Jamie Carter<\/a>Geminid Meteor Shower Explained<\/p>\n First observed in 1862 and thought to be intensifying every year, the Geminids \u2014 caused by an asteroid rather than a comet \u2014 are one of the best and most reliable annual meteor showers. In theory, up to 150 per hour can be seen at the peak, though in practice it\u2019s less due to the limits of human peripheral vision as well as less-than-dark night skies. <\/p>\n \u201cYou can expect to see perhaps up to 100 meteors an hour, so that might be one or two a minute, which would be a brilliant view \u2014 it is one of the strongest showers of the year,\u201d said Dr. Robert Massey, deputy executive director at the Royal Astronomical Society in London, in a video explainer<\/a>. \u201cThe great thing about a meteor shower, including the Geminids, is that the naked eye is the best way to see them \u2026 you want to be lying down, looking up at the broad panoply of stars, and watching for meteors.\u201d <\/p>\n Geminid meteors can flash into view anywhere in the late-night sky. But if you follow their paths back far enough, they all appear to diverge from a point in the constellation Gemini. The meteors’ perspective point of origin is called the shower’s radiant. The planet Jupiter shines brilliantly not too far from the radiant. Don’t expect to see several meteors at once! This diagram is meant only to show their divergence from the radiant point.<\/p>\n Sky & Telescope diagramGeminids: What Time To See The Most Meteors<\/p>\n Conditions for viewing the Geminids in 2025 are almost perfect. Meteor showers tend to be at their best when the radiant point \u2014 in this case, the constellation Gemini \u2014 is highest in the darkest sky. That\u2019s about 10 p.m. through 2 a.m. local time. Given that a 25%-lit crescent moon will rise around 2 a.m., that gives three strategies for seeing the most Geminids, according to Robert Lunsford at the International Meteor Organization<\/a>. <\/p>\n 1. Watch for \u2018Earthgrazers\u2019 as soon as it becomes dark<\/p>\n Although rates will be at the lowest point of the night, those you see will likely skim the atmosphere, making them visible for longer. The later you stay up, the more you\u2019ll see and the faster they\u2019ll become. \u201cFace eastward and expect most of the long earthgrazers to appear low in the northern and southern sky, shooting toward the west,\u201d Lunsford explained.<\/p>\n 2. Observe until 10 p.m.<\/p>\n By this time, expect around 30 Geminid meteors per hour \u2014 if you face toward the east. <\/p>\n 3. Observe from midnight to 4 a.m.<\/p>\n At around 2 a.m., rates will peak, with up to 60 meteors seen per hour in a dark rural night sky, but dropping off as the moon rises in the east and the constellation Gemini sits in the western sky.<\/p>\n Meteor showers often appear strongest in the pre-dawn hours, when Earth is rotating into the direction of the oncoming particles as at left in the diagram. On the “sunset” side (at right), the particles strike Earth’s atmosphere at slower speeds.<\/p>\n Sky & Telescope diagramGeminid Meteor Shower: Observing Tips<\/p>\n It goes without saying that you\u2019ll need to keep warm, hydrated and observe in bursts. Moving around can stave off the cold when outside for long periods. But the only other thing you really need is patience. “Meteor-watching is easy \u2014 you need no special equipment other than your eyes,” said<\/a> Edwin L. Aguirre, associate editor at Sky & Telescope. \u201cBut you’ll see more of them if you allow at least 20 minutes after going outside for your eyes to adapt to the darkness.\u201d<\/p>\n Geminids are easy to recognize. You’re looking for “a short streak of light that generally lasts maybe half a second or so,” said Massey. \u201cIt\u2019s usually so quick it’s impossible to point out to someone you’re with, so you need to keep your eyes up.\u201d <\/p>\n If you can, travel to avoid two things: clouds and urban glow. You can escape the latter by heading about 40 miles from urban areas to somewhere that looks dark on a light pollution map<\/a>, or simply find a park using the Dark Sky Place Finder<\/a>. Check weather forecasts before you head out because you\u2019ll also need a completely clear sky. <\/p>\n