The Geminid meteor shower is going to be streaking through the night sky tonight and here’s everything you need to know to enjoy it.
Watch The Meteor Shower Tonight: Here’s Everything You Need To Know
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Sky Full Of Stars
Tonight, the Geminid meteor shower will be lighting up the night skies. Even though it’s an annual shower, this year expectations are soaring because the crescent moon wont be playing spoilt sport. For all those who have no idea what’s going on, here’s the dummies guide to meteors. A meteor is basically when rocks and dust particles from space that are about to collide with Earth’s atmosphere {known as meteoroids} enter and streak through the atmosphere. It creates visually stunning streaks through the sky – a celestial firework show.
Where To Watch The Starry Night
We’ve got our fingers crossed that the clouds and light pollution do not play spoilsport to our starry celebration. The crescent moon wont be ruining our view either. The good news is that you won’t need a binocular or telescope for enjoying the show. To watch the Geminid meteor shower, the best place to watch it would be a spot without city lights, maybe the suburbs. Stay as far away from lights and ideally in a dark-sky area. You’ll have to give your eyes about 20-30 minutes to adjust to the dark, then sit back and enjoy the show.
Dr Debiprosad Duari, the director of MP Birla Planetarium explains that “since the meteors are relatively slow moving, the bright streaks of light will be easily visible.” He recommends that you should drive out in the early hours of December 14 to the outside city light limits, lie down on the ground with enough warm clothing and keep an eye on the sky.
Everything You Need To Know
Although the shower will go on almost the whole night {10 pm onwards}, the ideal time to watch it is between 1 and 2 am with 1:40 am on December 14 being the optimal time. Since we’re on the east coast, you may want to head there for few minutes earlier to get the best view.
You can get in touch with Kolkata Astronomy Centre here for more info. Or the Sky Watchers’ Association here. And of course, consider calling the Planetarium as well.