The Geminid meteor shower will peak this weekend, giving Irish stargazers an opportunity to spot plenty of ‘shooting stars’ with the naked eye.
Friday night into Saturday morning will offer the best opportunity to watch the Geminids, renowned for being among the brightest and most prolific meteor showers visible from Earth.
The Geminids meteor shower is caused by debris from an asteroid known as 3200 Phaethon. The asteroid goes around the sun once every year and a half.
The ‘shooting stars’ visible during the meteor show are bits of debris entering the Earth’s atmosphere at high speed, burning up to create streaks of light.
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The shower has been visible since earlier this month, and continues until December 20th.
For the best view, stargazers should try to fill your field of vision with the sky – you could use a deck chair or sun lounger, or a blanket on the ground, said Dave Moore, founder of Astronomy Ireland. He described the Geminids as “the best meteor shower of the year”.
The full moon will mean fainter shooting stars will be drowned out – but regardless, the shower is known for producing bright fire, Mr Moore said.
“In past decades the Perseid Meteor Shower in August was the best but this has declined somewhat in recent years to leave the Geminids reigning supreme,” he said.
“This is also good news for the public because that August shower cannot be well seen until 11pm but the Geminids begins as soon as it gets dark, around 5pm and runs until dawn.”
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