The Geminids meteor shower is set to peak on Thursday morning and Living Sky Guy Tim Yaworski has some hints and tips on how to see this annual meteor shower.
Yaworski said the weather conditions are ideal, we just have to hope for clear skies now.
“We’re not going to be freezing our tails off like usual,” Yaworski said.
He described the phenomenon as the Earth passing through some debris, comparing it to driving down a gravel road and kicking up stones.
“What’s unique about the Geminids — while most meteor showers are caused by the debris left by a comet, with the Geminids it’s the debris from an asteroid.”
He said it’s a relatively new meteor shower, being first observed in 1862, whereas something like the Perseid meteor shower has been seen as far back as 36 A.D.
“So when we go through that ‘gravel road,’ instead of kicking up rocks in the windshield, they’re burning up in the atmosphere.”
He said the overall peak of the meteor shower will see about 120 to 160 meteors per hour, but said in Saskatchewan, it’s more realistic to see about 20 to 30 an hour.
Yaworski said if you’re in Saskatoon, he suggests you head north and east out of the city to get the best view, saying the radiant point is in the eastern sky.
According to the NASA website, the point in the sky to look for the Geminids is in the direction of the Gemini constellation, which is where the name for the meteor shower came from.
Yaworski said the meteors can be seen all around you in the sky.
“Get to a dark sky, take a comfortable chair, and take a warm drink.”
He also gave some tips for some budding photographers, suggesting either a mirrorless or DSLR camera — “the kind where you can change lenses.”
Yaworski said to use the widest angle lens for your camera and set the ISO light sensitivity very high.
“Go to the widest possible aperture, focus at infinity, and then take some sample shots.”
He suggested taking between 15- and 20-second exposures and setting an interval timer on your camera.
“Point the camera where you hope to see meteors. Let the timer do the work. You sit back in the chair and enjoy the show.”
He said the best time to view this spectacle is from midnight to sunrise, but said from 9 p.m. on, there’s a good chance of seeing some meteors.