Overview
- The shower is active Dec. 4–17, with the American Meteor Society forecasting the best rates overnight Dec. 13–14 and up to about 120 meteors per hour under dark, clear skies.
- NASA advises looking toward the eastern sky on Dec. 13–14, where meteors will appear near bright Jupiter, following a close Moon–Jupiter conjunction on Dec. 7.
- A late moonrise around 2:00 a.m. on Dec. 14 is expected to keep earlier night hours darker, boosting visibility, particularly for observers in the Northern Hemisphere.
- The Geminids come from debris shed by asteroid 3200 Phaethon, producing bright, often multicolored meteors that are best viewed with the naked eye from dark locations.
- For December planners, comet 3I/ATLAS makes its closest approach on Dec. 19 at roughly 170 million miles, posing no threat and likely requiring a telescope to see.