Overview
- The annual display reaches maximum from late Saturday into early Sunday, when observers under dark rural skies could see around 100 to 120 meteors per hour.
- The best viewing runs from about 10 p.m. local time into the pre‑dawn hours, with the radiant in Gemini highest near 2 a.m. and a waning crescent moon rising after midnight.
- Unlike most showers, the Geminids come from asteroid 3200 Phaethon and often produce bright, sometimes colorful fireballs that are easy to spot with the naked eye.
- Visibility will hinge on local weather and light pollution, with clouds forecast for parts of the UK and southeast Texas while many other regions expect clearer windows.
- For the best experience, head to a dark site, avoid screens, allow 15–30 minutes for dark adaptation, watch the broad sky without optics, and consider long‑exposure photography or livestreams such as LiveMeteors.com if skies are cloudy.