THE BIG THREE

The top sights to observe or image this month

The Geminid meteor shower at its peak

BEST TIME TO SEE: 10-16 December

The Geminid meteor shower is one of the big-hitters of the year. This is because it has a high peak Zenithal Hourly Rate (ZHR) and a relatively broad peak period. If the Moon is out of the way, the weather kind, and you have dark skies, the Geminids can be awesome. This year, the Moon is out of the way. It's in an early phase and sets fairly early on. The unknown is the weather and during December this can be an issue.

Activity starts early December, low ZHR rates producing the odd Geminid during an all-night session. Things start to get interesting after 10/11 December in the run up to the peak period. This year, peak rates should occur on the nights of 13/14 and 14/15 December. The shower's activity peters out by the end of the third week in December.

The Geminid radiant (the location where meteors appear to emanate from) barely dips below the horizon mid-afternoon, meaning that shower meteors could, in theory, be seen as darkness falls. However, bear in mind that the radiant altitude is very low early on and this will significantly reduce the number of meteors seen.

The good news is the radiant increases to a maximum altitude of 70° at around 02:20 UT. With the Moon out of the way and clear skies, there's potential for around 12 hours of meteor watching. Sleep management and warm clothing are a must for serious Geminid watchers!