Here’s when to catch the peak of the 2022 Geminid meteor shower in southwest Illinois
The bright Geminids meteor shower will take place this week, and metro-east stargazers could see 30 to 40 meteors per hour depending on weather conditions.
The shower will begin around 9 or 10 p.m. Dec. 13, according to NASA, and will peak around 6 a.m. Dec. 14. If you’re up at 2 a.m. Dec. 14 you may see more meteors, but it’s possible to spot Geminids until Dec. 17.
“The show will last for most of the night, so you have multiple opportunities to spot the brilliant streaks of light across our sky,” NASA’s website reads.
When the weather is perfect and the shower is at its peak activity level, you can spot anywhere from 100 to 150 Geminids per hour, NASA reports. But this week’s waning gibbous moon will interfere, reducing visible meteors.
The Geminid meteors soar at more than 40 times the speed of a bullet, Smithsonian Magazine reports, traveling at 78,000 miles per hour.
NASA offers these stargazing tips to improve your experience:
Find an area away from the city and streetlights.
Bundle up and lie flat on your back with your feet facing south.
It will take approximately 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust and see the meteors. Refrain from looking at your cell phone or other bright objects to keep your eyes adjusted.
Richard Fefferman, sky ranger at Gateway Arch National Park, told the News-Democrat in a Nov. 15 interview the Geminids shower is one of the most reliable shows of the year. The Geminids and August Perseid shower are generally the only two showers Fefferman recommends the general public watch.
The St. Louis Astronomical Society hosts stargazing events and informational meetings. The next regular meeting, which is open to the public, will take place at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 16. The gathering’s theme is “Getting into Astrophotography.”
You can also check out the online Night Sky Network to search for stargazing events near you.
