Find the dark and gather your wishes, my babies: the annual Geminid meteor shower is upon us.
The Geminids are the best and most reliable of the annual meteor showers, and this year they very nearly coincide with a new moon in Sagittarius, meaning the skies will be near their darkest and optimally primed for viewing the star show.
Under these near-perfect lunar conditions and during peak time, up to 120 meteors will be visible per hour.
While most meteors appear colorless or white, the Geminids throw themselves against the sky with a yellow or greenish hue, heightening the viewing experience.
What is a meteor?
Meteors are born from comet particles and asteroid debris. When this glorious detritus travels around the sun it leaves a trail behind it.
When Earth passes through these trails, the bits of space dust collide with our atmosphere and burn themselves up, their disintegration creating streams of color and fire in the sky.
The Geminids are the early bird’s meteor shower as the sun sets early in December, and the constellation Gemini — from which they appear to originate — rises roughly an hour after nightfall, making the meteors visible relatively early in the evening.
When is the Geminid meteor shower?
The Geminids come around every year, blessing us with their brilliance from mid-November to mid-December. This go-round, the showers will peak the night of Wednesday, Dec. 13, through the early morning of Dec. 14.
Look for the most meteors per hour starting around 9 p.m. with a crescendo at 2 a.m. and meteors falling at a rate of one to two per minute.
Mythology
The radiant of the Geminids, or the point in the sky where they appear to originate, is the Gemini constellation for which they are named. This is not the source of the meteors but a visual indicator of them.
The Gemini constellation relates to the myth of the mythological twins Castor and Pollux.
Castor was the mortal son of King Tyndareus and Pollux the immortal progeny of Zeus, an ancient example of heteropaternal superfecundation. (Google it; I’ll wait.) Good-looking and hardscrabble, the brothers were inseparable, fighting fights, sailing seas and swearing loyalty to one another.
When Castor was fatally wounded in battle, Pollux, mad with grief, beseeched his father Zeus to save him. Zeus, a placating pater familias, split the difference of their fates and granted both a deathless death — thereby placing the twins in the night sky, where they burn bright and by the side of the other.
Metaphorically, and especially under the dark and revitalizing energy of the new moon, the Geminids remind us of the importance of intimacy, sacrifice and a ride-or-die willing to give up forever for fellowship, while also imparting that we are made of stardust and to stardust we are bound to return.
What’s the difference between a comet and an asteroid?
Unlike most other meteor showers that originate from comets, the Geminids spring from the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, named for Phaethon, the son of the sun god (great band name) Helios, who borrowed his daddy’s chariot to disastrous ends.
The difference between a comet and an asteroid, you ask?
A comet is, according to Earth Sky, “a dirty snowball with a solid nucleus covered by a layer of ice which sublimates (turns from a solid to a gas) as the comet nears the sun. Comets revolve around the sun in elongated orbits, going close to the sun, then going far from the sun.”
Conversely, and perhaps less poetically, an asteroid is a rock whose orbit around the sun is circular.
Much like the demigod for whom it is named, Phaethon is difficult to define. Per NASA: “ It is possible that Phaethon is a ‘dead comet’ or a new kind of object being discussed by astronomers called a ‘rock comet.'”
Where to watch
The Geminid meteor shower will be visible across the globe with maximum visibility in the Northern Hemisphere.
The best practice for meteor watching is to find a place as far from man-made lights as possible. As many of us in the Northern Hemisphere will be under the cold climes of winter weather, bundle up, bring a hot drink or handle of warming hooch, and settle in for the spectacle.
For the die-hard and the easily chilled, consider a sleeping bag, weighted blanket, long underwear or cuddle puddle.
How to watch
Under clear skies and away from the maddening glare of light pollution, the Geminids will be visible to the naked eye. While many people will reach for a telescope or binoculars, it actually is better to take in the entirety of the sky, rather than a small part.
The meteors can and will appear anywhere in the sky, but your best bet is to stare into the darkest part of the sky that your location affords. For best results, lie flat on your back with your feet facing south. After roughly 30 minutes, your eyes will adjust to the dark.
Avoid looking at your phone during the meteor shower, as it will impair your night vision and disrupt your ancient connection to the above and beyond.
Look up, wish well and feel the gravity of being both cosmic and creaturely, infinitesimal and infinite.
Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture and personal experience. She is also an accomplished writer who has profiled a variety of artists and performers, as well as extensively chronicled her experiences while traveling. Among the many intriguing topics she has tackled are cemetery etiquette, her love for dive bars, Cuban Airbnbs, a “girls guide” to strip clubs and the “weirdest” foods available abroad.
