"If you want to get into stargazing in 2025, there's still a chance to catch some of the best meteor showers of the year. Also known as shooting stars, meteors happen when Earth's orbital path crosses a path of debris left by a comet and that material burns up in the Earth's atmosphere. Watching a meteor shower is one of the most accessible ways to engage with the night sky."
"The Geminids are the most spectacular meteor shower of the year. In addition to boasting up to 120 or even 150 meteors per hour during its peak, this meteor shower is also the brightest and most colorful of the year. The Geminids are bright, slow-moving meteors that often have yellow tones, but they can be a range of other colors, including green, blue, white, red, or orange. And unlike most meteors, which are caused by comet debris, the Geminids are the remnants of an asteroid."
Meteor showers occur when Earth's orbit crosses debris left by comets and that material burns up in the atmosphere producing shooting stars. Nine major meteor showers occur throughout the year in the northern hemisphere. The Geminids are active roughly December 4–17 and peak overnight December 13–14, with a sharp peak making the night of the 13th the best. Peak rates can reach 120–150 meteors per hour. Geminids are bright, slow-moving, often yellow-toned but can appear green, blue, white, red, or orange, and originate from an asteroid rather than a comet. The Geminid radiant in Gemini is high around 2 a.m., and a 32% moon rising around 1:30 a.m. means viewing shortly after midnight reduces moonlight interference.
Read at WIRED
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