Geminid Meteor Shower 2018 in India: Know Timings to Witness The Celestial Phenomenon; NASA to Live Steam Event

It must be noted that US space agency, NASA will stream the event live. A blog post on how to watch the Geminid meteor shower this year will also be put out by NASA.

New Delhi: The annual Geminid meteor shower that takes place in December can be witnessed on December 13 and December 14 in India. The meteor shower will be visible from all across the globe, including India, though it is more prominent in the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth.

It must be noted that US space agency, NASA will stream the event live. A blog post on how to watch the Geminid meteor shower this year will also be put out by NASA. The Geminid rate will increase towards the morning it can be witnessed at a theoretical maximum of about 100 per hour at around 2 AM.

How to watch Geminid Meteor Shower 2018 in India: 

According to NASA, people in India will have to wait until 10:30 PM local time to witness the meteor shower. People are advised to find the darkest place around to witness the celestial event. It must be noted that any kind of light, including smartphones, will hamper the experience.

“Lie flat on your back and look straight up, taking in as much sky as possible. You will soon start to see Geminid meteors,” reads NASA’s post.

Google has even put out a Doodle that will track the shooting stars during the Gemini meteor shower. The Google Doodle shows how as 3200 Phaethon’s orbit leads it near the sun, the extreme heat causes it to fracture, thus leaving a trail of debris in its orbital path. Every December, Earth’s orbit leads us through the trail of 3200 Phaethon and its debris, which crashes into our atmosphere and is known as the Geminid shower.

The Geminid meteor shower happens when Earth passes through a massive trail of debris of 3200 Phaethon, which is an Apollo Asteroid.