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yesterday

Geminid Meteor Shower Peaks Overnight With Up to 120 Meteors per Hour

Debris from asteroid 3200 Phaethon is delivering bright, colorful fireballs under a late-rising crescent moon.

Meteors from the Geminid shower streak in the sky over the Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson in December 2023. The Geminids will be visible over the Bay Area on Saturday night and early Sunday. 
A Geminid meteor streaks over an Orthodox church near the village of Zagorie, Belarus, in December 2017. The Geminids will be visible over the Bay Area on Saturday night and early Sunday. 
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Overview

  • Peak activity arrived overnight Dec. 13–14, with the best viewing from about 10 p.m. local time into the pre-dawn hours.
  • A waning crescent moon rose around 2 a.m. local time, leaving an early-night dark window that boosted visibility under clear skies.
  • Under truly dark conditions observers could see roughly 120 meteors per hour, with higher counts reported at exceptional sites.
  • The display favors the Northern Hemisphere and is a naked‑eye event best watched from dark locations after allowing eyes 20–30 minutes to adapt.
  • The shower remains active for days around the peak, with live tracking and fireball reports available from the American Meteor Society and livestreams for clouded-out viewers.