Annual Geminid Meteor Shower takes place Dec. 13-14

Posted on December 8, 2025 by admin

By Gary Boyle
The Backyard Astronomer

 The annual Geminid Meteor shower will be at its finest on the night of Dec. 13 into the morning of the 14.  

According to the International Meteor Organization (IMO), the maximum peak of possibly seeing 120 meteors per hour is predicted to occur around 3 a.m. ET, (2 a.m. Central Time, and 1 a.m. Mountain and midnight Western time) on the morning of Dec. 14.

A 23 per cent waning crescent moon will rise late into the morning hours so no big interference this year. This is a weekend event. If cloudy on Saturday night, it is still visible on Sunday night, but the numbers will be reduced.

These are slow moving colourful meteors generated by the asteroid 3200 Phaethon and will be memorable to witness as they burn up in the atmosphere appearing in different directions of the sky. Some very bright fireballs could also be seen. Start looking around 7 p.m. local time but as the night moves on and the constellation Gemini rises higher over the next few hours, more meteors will be seen.

The brilliant planet Jupiter is up in the northeast around 7 p.m. and is out all night long along with the bright winter stars of Orion – the Hunter.

Best to travel out of town to darker wide-open skies to fully enjoy the show. Do not trespass on private property.