Geminid Meteor Shower To Peak Over Austin-Area Skies Sunday Night

AUSTIN, TX — You may want to fix your gaze heavenward tonight, as the famous Geminid meteor shower is expected to peak Sunday night into early Monday morning.

Coinciding with the new moon, the shooting star spectacle will feature from 60 to 120 meteors per hour at its peak, according to Space.com. Shedding more light on the matter, Space.com says bright meteors could be visible for several days after the peak.

"It will be the best meteor shower of 2020, no question about it," NASA meteor authority Bill Cooke told the website. The best time to watch for the Geminids, Cooke said, is about 2 a.m. local time.

Officials with the American Meteor Society predicts an even more spectacular show, forecasting as many as 150 meteors per hour in particularly dark areas. That's an average of two to three meteors per minute, stargazers.

The Geminids are considered one of the best meteor showers every year because the individual meteors are bright, "...and they come fast and furious," according to Space.com. Last year, the Geminds produced a mere 20-20 meteors per hour because of the nearly-full moon, according to the site.

The Geminid meteor shower is a phenomenon dating to nearly 200 years old, the site reads, with the first recorded observation in 1833 from a boat along the Mississippi River. This year, it's expected to be stronger than ever, Space.com says: "That's because Jupiter's gravity has tugged the stream of particles from the shower's source, the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, closer to Earth over the centuries."

We won't pretend to know what all that means. All we know is it's expected to be a galactic humdinger. That is, if those pesky clouds, cold weather and wind gusts don't interfere with the enjoyment.

The National Weather Service says it will be partly cloudy Sunday night in the Austin area. It's also going to be cold, with the low expected to dip to 34 degrees. It'll be a tad windy too, with breezes expected to whip at 20-25 miles per hour before decreasing to around 10 to 15 miles per hour after midnight, according to the forecast. The National Weather Service adds wind gusts could reach 40 miles per hour.

But we're talking Geminids, people! What's a little wind and cold weather?

Those unable to abide such conditions can watch online (we won't tell). The Slooh online observatory is conducting a webcast hosted by astronomers Paul Cox and Bob Berman, with special guest Dr. Mike Shaw. You can watch via Space.com or on the Slooh website or on the YouTube page.

While some may be tempted to take out their binoculars or telescopes out, NASA officials suggests leaving those indoors. "Using either reduces the amount of sky you can see at one time, lowering the odds that you'll see anything but darkness," NASA officials wrote on the space agency's website. "Instead, let your eyes hang loose and don't look in any one specific spot. Relaxed eyes will quickly zone in on any movement up above, and you'll be able to spot more meteors."

You might also want to eschew flashlights or your phone light to get around in the darkness as this might also impair viewing, according to NASA. "Some flashlights have handy interchangeable filters. If you don't have one of those, you can always paint the clear filter with red fingernail polish."

Delayed gratification is best as it could take up to 30 minutes for one's eyes to adjust to the darkness, officials at AccuWeather add. Once your eyeballs adjust to the dark, find a safe spot away from city lights, lie flat on your back with your feet pointing south and look up. Happy viewing!