Interactive: Watching the Geminid meteor shower

See what the view of the Geminid meteor shower will be like near where you live across the Indo-Pacific.

It’s the perfect year to observe the Geminids with a new Moon not interfering with the show, and the peak of the shower occurring while the Geminids are highest in the sky from Earth’s eastern longitudes.

To get the best view of these celestial fireworks, aim to head out late on the evening of 14 December into the very early morning hours of 15 December.

See what the view will be like near where you live, and the best time to go observing, in the interactive below.

Tips for watching a meteor shower

When observing meteor showers, comfort is probably more important than anything else, writes astronomer Professor Jonti Horner from the University of Southern Queensland.

Here are his top tips:

• Make sure you’re comfortable. Bring pillows, cushions and even a blanket. Nights can get chilly even in warm climates.
• Plan to head out somewhere dark — away from any bright lights. The darker the sky, the better the display.
• Check out your viewing location in daylight to plan the best place to get comfortable and to check for any hazards.
• Lie down. Get comfortable, as you’ll want to spend at least half an hour, and preferably longer, gazing up at the sky.
• Figure out where in the sky the radiant of the meteor shower will be. For the Geminids, you’re looking for the constellation Gemini — which is above and to the left of Orion (for those in the northern hemisphere), or below and to the right of Orion (if you’re in the southern hemisphere).
• Once you’ve located the radiant, have a look around the sky in that general direction. Do you have darker skies to the radiant’s left, or to its right? Pick the darker side and point yourself that way.
• The best view of a meteor shower is from looking about 45 degrees to the left or right of the radiant, and with your head tilted up so that you’re looking about 45 degrees above the horizon.
• It will take between 30 and 45 minutes for your eyes to become fully adjusted to the darkness, allowing you to see the faintest possible stars. Any source of light seen in that time will reset the clock, so make sure to put your phone away.
• Finally relax, look to the skies and enjoy the view.

Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.