This week, the Geminid meteor shower will be its best to view, as the light show in outer space will reach its peak on the night of Dec. 13 and continue into the morning of Dec. 14.
The Geminids are a unique meteor shower as they’re not associated with a comet but are instead linked to the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, according to NASA.
The meteor shower was first observed in 1862 and has since been a recurring spectacle in the night sky, being one of the most active meteor showers every year.
The meteors have been popping up since the beginning of the month but will get even better at the end of this week. For example, last year there were 150 meteors seen an hour during the shower’s peak.
However, there may be some difficulties this year, as the moon will be full, making it tough to view the meteors, which will appear more faint in the night sky.
Nonetheless, viewing is best at night or pre-dawn hours, with the shower starting at around 9 or 10 p.m.
According to EarthSky, if you find ways to block out the moon on Friday, it will help make the meteors stand out more.
“So with moonlit skies in 2024, you might only catch the brightest meteors,” according to EarthSky. “Luckily, many of the Geminids are bright meteors. Try blocking out the moon when watching for meteors.”
Bill Cooke, the lead of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office, shared that casual viewers won’t be able to see any of the meteors until at least Dec. 11, with the brightness of the moon making the faint meteors almost impossible to spot.
Overall, Cooke shared that “2024 is a bad year for Geminid watching – December 2025 will be much better.”