'Meteor shower' to adorn the sky on December 12-13

Skygazers are in for a treat as they will be able to see the most dazzling displays of shooting stars

Aurangabad, Dec 9:

A beautiful meteor shower will adorn the sky on the night of December 12-13 and the early hours of December 14. Skygazers will be able to witness the stunning view from the city if the conditions are favorable. The event can be witnessed with naked eyes after midnight and early morning.

The Geminid meteor shower will be clearly visible on the night of December 13, providing skygazers a chance to witness one of the year’s most dazzling displays of shooting stars. In addition, this performance will be joined by dazzling contributions from a trio of planets. Through most of the month of December, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn are seen lined up in the night sky. On December 10, the waxing crescent Moon also joins this celestial alignment. "The Geminid meteor shower is going to have its peaks on the late night of December 13 and is the most intense meteor shower of the year. The peak time will be in the middle of the night of December 13-14 at around 1-2 am. It will provide an opportunity to observe the celestial fireworks", said meteorologist Sundar Deshpande. He further added that it may be possible to see 50 and 150 meteors per hour if the sky is dark and clear. These meteors will cause no harm to anything on Earth, Deshpande said.

What is a meteor shower

Every December, the Earth passes through the trail of the mysterious rocky object 3200 Phaethon which is an asteroid-like celestial body. As it does, bits of dust and debris burn up in our atmosphere. These are the shooting stars of the Geminids.