Australia will see its best and biggest meteor shower of the year when the Geminids meteors light up the sky early on Saturday.
Here’s when and where to look out for the shooting stars.
When will the meteor shower be?
The meteor shower will be strongest between 2am and 4am on Saturday morning, with the best time to watch varying depending on where you are in Australia.
More meteors can be seen when the sky is darkest after the moon sets but before the sun rises, according to Jonti Horner, professor of astrophysics at the University of Southern Queensland.
Meteors may also be visible while the moon is in the sky throughout Friday night but could be drowned out by the light of the full moon.
Moonset and sunrise are respectively forecast at the below times (all local time) for Australia’s capital cities on Saturday, according to Geoscience Australia:
Sydney: 3.59am, 5.38am
Melbourne: 4.13am, 5.52am
Brisbane: 3.08am, 4.47am
Canberra: 4.03am, 5.43am
Hobart: 3.46am, 5.26am
Adelaide: 4.18am, 5.56am
Darwin: 4.43am, 6.16am
Perth: 3.30am, 5.05am
The meteor shower will reappear on Saturday night into Sunday morning, though only half as many meteors will be visible.
Where can I watch the meteor shower?
The light show can be seen from all over Australia, though it will be more visible further north in the country.
Viewers in Darwin could see as many as 90 meteors an hour once the moon sets, while those in Brisbane should see 60 an hour and Hobart about 30, Horner says.
More meteors can be seen from areas with low light pollution, according to Dr Tanya Hill, senior curator for astronomy at the Melbourne Planetarium.
“As far away as you can get from the city, the better,” she says.
Stargazers searching for the meteors in the night sky should look next to the constellation of Gemini to see the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, the source of the weekend’s meteors, Hill says. Meteors will radiate out from the asteroid point as it rises and falls in the sky overnight.
Why is this meteor shower special?
The Geminids, named for the neighbouring constellation, send more meteors shooting across Australia’s night sky than any other meteor shower. The second biggest, the Aquariids in May, has only about a third as many visible meteors.
The meteors come from the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, which is cracking and shattering under the extreme temperatures it faces as it orbits the sun, Hill says.
“As the asteroid has orbited, it’s left dust behind like breadcrumbs and then that’s what we’re passing through now,” she says.
The Earth passes through that dust zone in December each year for about three weeks but will hit the most cluttered point over the weekend.
How can I watch the meteor shower?
Viewers should start watching at least half an hour before their local peak time to allow their eyes to adjust to the dark, Horner says.
“Sit out for half an hour or an hour, preferably with loved ones, so you’ve got somebody to talk to, and have your morning coffee. It’s a really lovely shared experience.”
Stargazers should lie down or sit back to avoid neck pain and watch with the naked eye rather than telescopes or binoculars as meteors streak across large areas of sky, Horner adds.
Hill encourages stargazers to have patience as they watch and wait.
“We might say that you can see 20 to 30 meteors an hour, but they’re not coming regularly. You might be out there for 20 minutes or so and see nothing and then, all of a sudden, this amazing flurry of activity can happen.”
In the meantime, Hill suggests looking out for the constellation of Orion, which has returned to night skies for the summer, and for Jupiter and Mars, which will be sitting near Phaethon and Gemini over the weekend.
“While you’re lying back waiting for the meteors to come by, there’s also just a lovely part of the sky to explore.”
