Local sky gazers will have a rare opportunity to witness the peak of the Geminids meteor shower, with the astronomical event set to occur between midnight on December 13 and the morning of December 14.
The Geminids are widely considered to be one of the best meteor showers every year as the individual meteors are bright and they travel with both speed and fury.
According to details given by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Geminids are largely associated with near-Earth object 3200 Phaethon, an asteroid that may have undergone a collision with another object in the distant past in order to produce the stream of particles that Earth runs into, thereby creating the meteor shower.
The Geminids meteor shower occurs between November 19 to December 24 and will peak on the nights of December 13 and December 14.
The American Meteor Society has predicted that sky watchers can see up to 150 meteors per hour at the shower’s peak when there is no interference coming from moonlight.
In order to witness the Geminids meteor shower, observers in the country don’t require special equipment. Indeed, it is suggested that they head to places that have an unobstructed view of the sky.