It’s once again the most wonderful time of the year – and not just because of the holidays. This weekend will be the peak of the annual Geminid meteor shower, which is often “the most powerful meteor shower of the year,” according to the American Meteor Society (AMS).

The Geminid meteor shower appears in the night sky around mid-December every year. Although the phenomenon will be active from November 19th to December 24th, it will peak on the night between December 13th and 14th – technically the early morning of the 14th, as Preston Dyches writes for NASA.

This year, however, the peak of the shower is immediately followed by December’s “Cold Moon,” the last full moon of the year, which falls on December 15th. Unfortunately, this means that the moon is “already above the horizon and shining brightly.” the sun sets” on the 13th, for which Jamie Carter writes Live Scienceand it will outshine some of the meteors. “But this is still an event where you have to be out around midnight.”

Some stargazers may even decide to test their luck the week before the summit to observe the sky when the moon is weaker. Here’s what you should know about the upcoming shooting star show.

Tips for watching the Geminid meteor shower

Regardless of the phase of the moon, people who want to see the show should seek an area away from city lights to minimize light pollution, according to NASA. Of course, winter temperatures require appropriate clothing, and die-hard stargazers should also bring something to lie down on to get the best view of the night sky, such as a sleeping bag or blanket.

“Hunting for meteors, like the rest of astronomy, is a waiting game, so it’s best to bring a comfortable chair to sit on and wrap up warm as you could be out for a while,” said Royal Museums Greenwich.

Ideally, choose a location where the moon is obscured by a building or tree. A temporary solution is to block it with your hand – but holding your arm in this position is likely to become tiring. If you don’t plan on lying on the cold ground, you can stand and turn your back to the moon.

“Be aware that meteors often occur in bursts, punctuated by pauses,” write Deborah Byrd, Kelly Kizer Whitt and Marcy Curran for EarthSky.

Stargazers should give their eyes half an hour to adjust to the darkness and avoid looking at screens as this will disrupt the adjustment. Since the peak lasts almost 24 hours, the shower will be visible everywhere in the Northern Hemisphere from around 9 or 10 p.m. local time. However, the best time to see the show is in the later hours of the night and before dawn. According to AMS, Geminid meteors can also be seen from the southern hemisphere, but less frequently and only in the middle of the night.

The meteors appear to come from the constellation Gemini – known in technical language as Radiant – the region that also gives the meteor shower its name. Don’t just focus on the constellation, however, as the meteors occur throughout the night sky.

“In fact, it’s better to look a little to the side to see the meteors with longer tails,” according to Star Walk, an astronomy app. To get the best view of the meteors, take a wide view of the sky.

A controversial celestial body

The Geminid meteors don’t actually come from Gemini – it’s just a coincidence of perspective that makes it seem so. Instead, the meteor shower occurs as Earth passes through debris left in the wake of 3200 Phaethon, a celestial body controversial in the scientific community because it resembles both an asteroid and a comet.

To put it simply, both asteroids and comets are celestial objects that orbit the sun. However, the former are rocky and the latter are mostly ice, forming an iconic tail as they come close to our star on their elliptical orbits.

Currently classified as an asteroid, 3200 Phaethon orbits the Sun in 1.4 Earth years. However, some scientists have speculated that it is a “dead comet” – one that has lost all of its volatile elements and therefore no longer produces a tail. According to NASA, it could even be given a new classification as a “rock comet.”

Whatever the case, the Geminid meteor shower has been lighting up the night sky with meteorites since the mid-19th century. And it’s exciting to discover this annual phenomenon, say experts. “Seeing one will cause excitement and quiet screaming,” says Dafydd Wyn Morgan, a Welsh astrophotographer Sky News‘Jake Levison.