The 2012 Geminids

One of the finest, and probably the most reliable, of the major annual showers presently observable, whose peak this year falls perfectly for new Moon. Well north of the equator, the radiant rises about sunset, reaching a usable elevation from the local evening hours onwards. In the southern hemisphere, the radiant appears only around local midnight or so. It culminates near 2h. Even from more southerly sites, this is a splendid stream of often bright, medium-speed meteors, a rewarding event for all observers, whatever method they employ. We are looking forward to your reports! — The peak has shown slight signs of variability in its rates and timing in recent years, with the more reliably-reported maxima during the past two decades all having occurred within Lambda=261.5° to 262.4°, 2012 December 13, 7h to December 14, 4h UT. Near-peak rates usually persist for almost a day, so much of the world has the chance to enjoy something of the Geminids’ best. [after A. McBeath: Shower Calendar 2012] — Please click on image for live graph.