How to photograph the Geminids

Dramatic meteor photos aren't just down to luck. We show you how to bag one

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It's December, which means it's time for the best meteor shower of the year - the Geminids. Perseids fans may disagree, but long, dark nights and a broader activity peak give the Geminids the edge. True, December nights are much colder, so perhaps the Perseids in August win the popularity contest!

Whichever's your favourite, neither wins if the Moon is around. This year's Perseids were ruined by a bright Moon, but 2025's Geminids will fare better. With the Moon just past last quarter as the Geminids peak, its glare should be easy to contain.

Photographing meteors isn’t too hard; the tricky part is maximising your chances of capturing a trail. That's why showers like the Perseids and Geminids are so good to try to photograph. If the weather is kind and the Moon out of the way, you'd be very unlucky not to capture anything - though it can still happen!

Pick the right lens

So how can you maximise your chances? A fish-eye lens gives you total sky coverage, so any bright meteor will be recorded. The problem is that fish-eye trails tend to be rather puny and difficult to see. In contrast, something like a 200mm lens would give you excellent meteor trails, but covers so little sky that you'd need to be extremely fortunate to bag one. Somewhere in between is best - typically around the 20mm mark.