geminid meteor shower
A meteor streaking past stars, light up the night sky over the Mexican volcano Popocatepetl near the village San Nicolas de los Ranchos in Mexican state of Puebla in the early hours of December 14, 2004. Reuters/Daniel Aguilar

Australia will be lucky enough to see the annual Geminid meteor shower from Wednesday night. The celestial event will be visible across the country from Wednesday to Sunday, Dec. 13 to 17, with the best time to see it is in the early morning of Thursday.

The Geminids will have a stunning comeback this year after a mediocre appearance in 2016. The December supermoon washed out the meteor shower last year. However, for 2017, the Geminid meteor shower will coincide with the waning crescent moon phase, which would make the sky look completely dark and therefore will make the Geminids more visible.

What is the Geminid meteor shower

The sky phenomenon, which is nearly 200 years old according to first records, is considered one of the best meteor showers every year because the individual meteors are bright, according to Space.com. It produces 60 to 120 shooting stars per hour at peak periods.

Unlike most meteor showers that are associated with a comet, the Geminids are caused by the object 3200 Phaethon, which is an Apollo asteroid that is five kilometres wide. They were named as such because they are believed to come from a radiant in the Gemini constellation.

How to watch the Geminids

Though they can enhance the viewing experience, special equipment like binoculars and telescopes are not necessary to view the Geminid meteor shower. The only requirement is a dark sky, which is expected from Wednesday night to early Thursday morning, thanks to the waning crescent moon. Stay away from the city because the artificial lights tend to drown out the meteors.

There’s no need to look in a single direction or locate its radiant point as well because the meteors will be all over the sky. However, for those who have a telescope, they can catch a glimpse of the 3200 Phaethon as it passes quickly through the sky. The asteroid will be visible in the evening from Dec. 13 to about a week. The meteor shower, on the other hand, is best seen in the early morning.

When and where to view the Geminid meteor shower in Australia

As Gizmodo notes, the Geminids will last a total of three days, rising and then building to a peak, which will last for a little over a day before declining. Here are the rising times to see the meteor shower in Australia on Wednesday:

  • Perth : 8 p.m. 11 meteors/hr (Dec. 14 peak: 27 meteors/hr)
  • Darwin : 9:30 p.m. 16 meteors/hr (Dec. 14 peak: 41 meteors/hr)
  • Brisbane : 10 p.m. 11 meteors/hr (Dec. 14 peak: 27 meteors/hr)
  • Adelaide : 10:30 p.m. 9 meteors/hr (Dec. 14 peak: 22 meteors/hr)
  • Sydney : 11 p.m. 9 meteors/hr (Dec. 14 peak: 22 meteors/hr)
  • Canberra : 11 p.m. 9 meteors/hr ((Dec. 14 peak: 22 meteors/hr)
  • Melbourne : 11 p.m. 8 meteors/hr (Dec. 14 peak:19 meteors/hr)
  • Hobart : 11 p.m. 6 meteors/hr (Dec. 14 peak:14 meteors/hr)

The asteroid, meanwhile, is best viewed on Dec. 15. Southern Queensland University astronomer Jonti Horner told the ABC that it will be at its brightest on the evening of Friday, about two days before its close pass at 10 a.m. AEDT on Sunday, Dec. 17.