The annual Geminids meteor shower peaks tonight, so if you’re willing to brave the cold weather (assuming it’s cold where you are) then tonight is your best chance! I wrote a guide to watching meteors showers a while back (it’s for a different shower, but the general advice still holds true) that should help, too. I’ve heard rumors that things will be pretty good tonight for people on the east coast of the U.S. after midnight. If the clouds dissipate tonight I may go for them myself… now that it’s finally warmed up to the better side of the freezing point of water around here.
And if you do observe, you can join people across the planet and record your observations on Twitter using the hashtag #MeteorWatch. Universe Today has details.
December 13th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
For those of us in New Zealand, look to the north at around 3am.
Regretting not being able to get out of the city tonight though. :/
Here’s hoping the rain forecast for Christchurch blows itself over early in the night.
December 13th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
I’ve just been out and seen my very first meteor! I’ve always somehow managed to miss them before, but there it was streaking across the sky! Woooot! But I’m lucky in where I live, in the area covered by the new Galloway Dark Sky Park.
Now it’s back to sky-watching…
December 13th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
I was out last night- thin clouds but was able to get 10 over two hours around 2 a.m. One really bright and long-lasting fellow made the wait worth it. Almost a fireball! Tonight it looks like rain. Drats.
December 13th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
same i just senn my first ever meteor
December 13th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
A meteor shower? It’s supposed to be awesome? That must mean that… Yup. It’s cloudy. This happens for, seriously, every good meteor shower that happens. I missed the Perseids for years because of this. I swear, it’s a curse.
December 13th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Well, it’s actually quite warm here in N. Florida, but the rain might make it difficult to see. I agree with Fazaman (#5). I haven’t seen a single meteor shower this year….
December 13th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Here in upstate New York, it’s clouds from horizon to horizon. :-/
December 13th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Question: Why the antiscience tag? Would a naturalist category be better?
I wish I was up soaking in the San Luis Valley tonight.
Oh yeah, and also watching for cattle-mutilating aliens.
We may need that Denver welcoming committee after all!
December 13th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Like the people of Krikkit who don’t believe in the rest of the universe, we don’t believe in the Geminids here in the Pacific Northwest. It’s all made-up, just like the Leonids.
December 13th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
No chance to see anything in Syracuse, NY, as it is clouds and nasty in every direction.
December 13th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
Bah Humbug! Snow and clouds in Squamish!
December 13th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
No Geminids here (Red Deer, Alberta) tonight … currently P40 X 11/2-SN (cloudy with snow) and forecast the same for the rest of the night. As if that isn’t enough, it’s currently -28C and forecast to drop to -38C. Oh well, maybe better luck with the Quadrantids in January.
December 13th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Poop! It’s cloudy and snowy here…
December 13th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
@Fazaman
Are you me? I don’t remember writing this, but it’s exactly what I was going to say…
December 13th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
Bah, completely overcast here in Baltimore. It looked like it was going to break a few hours ago, but the clouds reasserted themselves.
December 13th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
Something astronomical
Something phenomenal
Something for everyone,
Geminids tonight!
[sung to the tune of Comedy Tonight]
J/P=?
December 13th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
I saw two good ones around 12 ish-20 minutes outside NYC. Too close to city lights to see much more and even though it’s kind of warm-41 f- it is COLD! I’ll take my chances getting a crick in my neck from my southeast facing window!
December 13th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
wow! Clear and cold in Prince Rupert, on the North Coast of British Columbia.
We usually don’t get to see any meteor showers here, since it’s Canada’s rainiest city. Lots of clouds and rain. But tonight we drove a few minutes out of town and watched the sky for about 30 minutes. Spotted a whole bunch of meteors!
December 13th, 2009 at 11:11 pm
Wow- what a break! There was a big hole in the clouds overhead (thermal?) that stayed open for hours tonight. I managed 35 in two hours (given the light pollution here 20 mi. outside NYC that’s alright), and wonder of wonders, a street light had burned out in a neighboring cul de sac, the fellow who had the klieglights for security was out of town with the lights off too, and of course most lighting is at a minimum anyway on Sunday nights.
The vast majority avoided going eastward, though there were a handful, and a couple southeast or northeast. One interesting one split in two as it became visible, diverging about 2o degrees. But it didn’t last long. Some of the longer ones went all the way to the horizon south or southwest. Only reason I’m inside now is that my muscles were yelling at me.
December 13th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
It’s 1am est in NYC -I was at the window for about 10-15 minutes and am probably missing a lot as I take this break.
What I saw so far since 11:50pm est (Forgive my labels. My grampa and I made them up.)
3 pretty good streakers, 1dropper, about 10 sparkles, 3 sparklers, 5 ffssttts and some pin pricks.
December 13th, 2009 at 11:45 pm
Wasington D.C. metro area!! Go outside and brave the cold. It’s the best meteor shower I’ve seen for years. I didn’t even know about it. I had just gone outside and looked up as I always do, hoping for a random “shooting star” I couldn’t believe my eyes. Either some heavenly honor was being bestowed on me or there was a meteor shower. I had to come in to look it up. Clear skies in Vienna Virginia.
December 14th, 2009 at 12:36 am
It’s gorgeous here in Denver — hope you and the Little Astronomer are getting a good look! I saw about one a minute, with a good number of long bright ones. Also, Mars looks amazing!
December 14th, 2009 at 2:41 am
Like I said last night, it was my first meteor sighting, and it was a beauty! A big white-blue fireball with a short but definite tail and a slightly snaky movement – presumably from bouncing/tumbling. It was dammed fast, covering a quadrant of the sky in about two seconds.
The half-dozen little ‘streakers’ I saw after that were disappointing by comparison.
December 14th, 2009 at 5:52 am
Ah, I wonder if the one I saw Friday night was an early Geminid.
Stupid meteor showers. Either I’m not in the best viewing area, or I am, but it’s cloudy.
December 14th, 2009 at 6:13 am
It was very clear in Fort Worth last night. We saw several, including a couple pretty bright and long trails, between 9 and 10pm local.
December 14th, 2009 at 6:45 am
Was a bit cloudy last night, so took a drive to a secluded beach outside of town, where for luck there were zero lights and a crystal clear sky. Couldnt stay up late enough for the supposed peak at 3:30am but what i saw was great, apart from all the nearby doggers of course
December 14th, 2009 at 11:09 am
It was a cloudless sky at sunset and I really thought I might for once get to see a proper meteor shower. An hour later it was ten tenths cloud, and as far as I can tell it stayed that way all night.
December 14th, 2009 at 11:32 am
I was on a deer lease in west texas 5am Sunday Morning clear as a bell
way cool, counted 7
December 14th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Current data on this years Geminid shower is automatically generated and available at the International Meteor Organization web site: w3.imo.net/live/geminids2009/ . Looks like we’re slightly past peak (or maybe not?) , but still a strong display.
December 14th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
is it too late to view geminid this evening? we kinda got jipped last night, rhode island area btw.
December 14th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Ahhh – I wonder if it was a Geminid that I saw on Saturday evening – it was only 7.30 PM Perth time and I saw a large meteor heading South West in the sky – brilliantly white with green traces.
December 14th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
I got a cloudbreak last night in oregon around 9:45 and saw about 5 in 2 minutes. Didn’t even know about it, I just usually always look up when it’s clear out.
December 14th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Didn’t realize it was meteor time but saw a bright one around midnight while in my driveway late Sunday and went to computer to check. Drove with partner to local park/preserve (not legal but this should be the worst thing that happens here) and parked off road and HE saw more than I did. It’s usually the other way around but seeing any is better than missing them. Drove back to get him to bed for work and intended to drive to a more distant locale for later morning viewing but fell asleep on the coach! Am going to solo tonight to a less lightfilled location if cloud cover doesn’t make it pointless. Gosh, I love meteors!
December 14th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
Counted 25 from about 12:15 to 1:15am. About 10 were really good, bright, long etc.
Weather -25C and very refreshing (Winnipeg). Luckily I had a fire going but nearly counted some flying embers as meteorites.
December 14th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
The Geminids were awesome… by far the best meteor event of ’09. I’m in Boston where I can see 3rd mag. and maybe a hint of 4th, being outside for 35 minutes and counting 30 (compounded with my legally blind nearsightedness and a field of view limited by a pair of glasses barely larger than John Lennon’s) was incredible. I can only imagine how awesome it would’ve been under dark skies!! I even caught a decent one on camera!
December 14th, 2009 at 7:11 pm
It’s a balmy 76 and clear sky in West Palm Beach, FL. I am hoping to get lucky and see some meteors tonight. Last night’s report from here was great.
December 15th, 2009 at 4:47 am
After watching the live launch of the WISE infrared space telescope I went outside and took my dog for a walk last night / this morn (circa 2-3 am Adelaide South Australian time) – looking up I just caught a bright fireball that I’m pretty sure was Geminid meteor.
Estimated magnitude at least surpassing Jupiter ie minus three or so.
Beautiful and the icing on the cake of a great news (space~wise) day!
I then sat outside for a while longer and saw a couple more Geminids plus a sporadic shooting star but none as bright as that first one.
Still one of those “Ahhhh” (awed, numinous) moments that just sticks in your mind and brings a smile every time you think of it. I wonder how many others might have been lucky enough to see it as well …
November 21st, 2010 at 7:02 pm
The Geminids are a great grand finale meteor storm to end the year…amazing seeing so many different colours, too!