TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Geminid meteor shower peaks this week. Unfortunately, many of the the meteors from this dazzling shower will be blocked by clouds. However, there will be breaks in the clouds over the next few evenings to try and catch a glimpse of a few of the brighter “shooting stars.”
The peak of this meteor shower is just before Thursday evening, according to EarthSky.org so the best viewing will be Wednesday and Thursday night, all night, when there is minimal cloud cover.
Using a free sky app on your phone and locate the constellation Gemini. The meteors will radiate outward from this region in the sky. The constellation will rise in the east during the evening hours, so it’s best to go out after 9 p.m., when it is fully dark. Get as far away from city lights as possible to have your best shot at seeing them. Even the brighter ones should shine through some of the thinner clouds.
Under ideal viewing conditions, this meteor shower could produce up to 120 meteors per hour. This is a great year for the shower because moonlight will not be a factor. It will be a thin sliver of a new moon. However, again, the cloud cover could be an issue for the Tampa bay viewing area.
If you find a clearer patch of sky, there is no need for a telescope, as you would only see a very small portion of the sky. Go outside and look up, these meteors will streak across a good portion of the night sky.
