Ireland’s “best meteor shower” of the year will see the skies above filled with up to 20 times the normal number of shooting stars.
The Geminids meteor shower peaks every December and is described by NASA as “one of the best and most reliable annual meteor showers” for stargazers.
Astronomy Ireland Magazine Editor David Moore said people can expect “a celestial fireworks display on a planetary scale” tonight.
“We’re [heading] into the best meteor shower of the year and we get about 20 times more of these meteors on a normal night," he said.
“Tonight’s the maximum night - but actually… tomorrow night, you get about half as many as each night passes.
“So, there’ll still be ten times more than normal tomorrow and five times more than normal on Sunday - so, well worth watching.”
When to look out?
The best time to see the meteor showers tends to be later on in the night - but it does vary.
“There’s no guarantee you won’t get the best one of the night soon after the sun sets or it could be before dawn,” Mr Moore said.
“That’s the thing about the Irish weather… Even if it’s cloudy early on, it could clear up in the middle of the night or in an hour’s time.
“So, keep checking the sky if you do have clouds.”
A mixed weekend as high pressure begins to decline
Sunny spells & isolated showers to start on Sat, turning cloudier later with some drizzle 🌦️
Milder & rather breezy on Sun with mostly cloudy skies & patchy drizzle. 🍃☁️#weekend #weather #showers
ℹ️https://t.co/sFyGizB5AS pic.twitter.com/3ZQQgugvi6— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) December 13, 2024
If there are clouds, stargazers should not necessarily despair.
“If it is cloudy, just look in the clear patches because they can appear anywhere in the sky,” Mr Moore said.
Full moon
One issue for city dwellers is air pollution, which Mr Moore described as a “terrible bane for a star gazer”.
However, the natural light of the moon will not stop people seeing the meteors shimmer in the skies above.
“Tonight, there’s going to be an almost full moon,” Mr Moore said.
“In fact, the planet Jupiter will be extremely close to the moon tomorrow night - something to look out for just below the moon.
“That’s going to brighten up the sky naturally.”
Main image shows: A Meteor Shower. Picture by: Alamy.com
