Geminids Meteor Shower 2020 Live

When and where to see the Geminid meteor shower
Explore by theme Geminid meteor shower 2020: when and where to see it in the UK
Geminid meteor shower 2020: when and where to see it in the UK
What is it, when is it and where can I see the Geminid meteor shower this year?

The Geminid meteor shower will peak on 13-14 December in 2020

See amazing meteor photography at the Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year exhibition.

What is the Geminid meteor shower?
The Geminid meteor shower is one of the last of the year’s major showers, and can generally be relied on to put on a good display. Meteors are pieces of debris which enter our planet’s atmosphere at speeds of up to 70 kilometres per second, vaporising and causing the streaks of light we call meteors.

The meteors are very bright, moderately fast, and are unusual in being multi-coloured – mainly white, some yellow and a few green, red and blue. These colours are partly caused by the presence of traces of metals like sodium and calcium, the same effect that is used to make fireworks colourful. The shower has been known produce over 100 meteors per hour at its peak, although light pollution and other factors mean that in reality, the actual number visible is far less.

Geminids meteors appear to radiate from near the bright star Castor in the constellation Gemini. However, the actual source of the shooting stars is a stream of debris left behind by asteroid 3200 Phaethon, making this one of the only major showers not to originate from a comet.

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Geminid Fireball © Patrick Cullis.jpg
Image of Geminid Fireball © Patrick Cullis
When and where to see the Geminid meteor shower
Explore by theme Geminid meteor shower 2020: when and where to see it in the UK
Geminid meteor shower 2020: when and where to see it in the UK
What is it, when is it and where can I see the Geminid meteor shower this year?

The Geminid meteor shower will peak on 13-14 December in 2020

See amazing meteor photography at the Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year exhibition.

Find out more

What is the Geminid meteor shower?
The Geminid meteor shower is one of the last of the year’s major showers, and can generally be relied on to put on a good display. Meteors are pieces of debris which enter our planet’s atmosphere at speeds of up to 70 kilometres per second, vaporising and causing the streaks of light we call meteors.

The meteors are very bright, moderately fast, and are unusual in being multi-coloured – mainly white, some yellow and a few green, red and blue. These colours are partly caused by the presence of traces of metals like sodium and calcium, the same effect that is used to make fireworks colourful. The shower has been known produce over 100 meteors per hour at its peak, although light pollution and other factors mean that in reality, the actual number visible is far less.

Geminids meteors appear to