Geminid Meteor Shower 2018: Know When, Where and How to Watch The Celestial Spectacle in India
The Geminid Meteor Shower 2018 will be active from December 4 to December 17
It is an exciting time for stargazers around the world as it is the time of annual meteor showers. The Geminid meteor shower is seen every December and sees a wonderful spectacle of shooting stars throughout the month. It is the best time to experience a meteor and it is at its peak in the mid of December. The Geminid Meteor Shower 2018 will be active from December 4 to December 17. The most active period will be on the evening of December 13-14. Budding astrophotographers, astronomy enthusiasts and observers should gear up to watch the delightful spectacle of Geminid Meteor Shower 2018. Let us also give you some more information about the Geminid Shower, the timings, where and how to watch it. Know About Perseid Meteor Shower, Most Popular Celestial Event of the Year.
What is Geminid Meteor Shower?
A Geminid Meteor Shower is an annual event which sees a number of meteors radiating from one point in the night sky. A meteor shower is a result of cosmic debris or meteors entering the Earth's atmosphere. A Geminid Meteor Shower is caused by an object 3200 Phaethon, which is an Apollo asteroid which is among the closest to the Sun. The meteor shower is slow moving and seen every December, the highest peak is on December 14. These meteors come from a constellation Gemini, hence the name. Those from the northern hemisphere see high Geminid rates. The meteors are said to travel at about 35 km/s. Super Blood Moon on January 21 is a Doomsday? Rare Celestial Event Combining Total Lunar Eclipse 2019 Predicts Apocalypse.
Best Place and Time to Watch Geminid Shower in India
Geminid Meteor Showers are observed best from the Northern Hemisphere and thus Indians have a good view of the celestial spectacle. But a prerequisite to watching the Geminids is heading to a less polluted place. Head to the higher altitudes, away from the cities to watch the meteor shower. The best time to watch the Geminids is said to be around 2.00 pm. You can head to Alwar in Rajasthan, the northern states of Himalayas, rural areas like Bandardara in Maharashtra etc to watch the Geminid Shower in India.
How to Watch Geminid Meteor Shower?
The Geminid Shower does not require any complex equipment but can be easily observed in the night sky with the naked eye, provided you are in a non-polluted and dark atmosphere. One will take some time to adapt their eyes to total darkness, but head to a city or a rural place with less pollution. Once you spot one of the shooting stars, you can observe more over a period of time as the night gets darker.
If you are keen on watching the celestial event then you might want to start planning your trip soon. It is an annual event and if you have always wanted to see shooting stars, wanting to know more about asteroids and other such astronomical phenomena, then there are even special tours arranged for the same.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 05, 2018 09:48 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).