How to watch the Leonids meteor shower

The Geminids are among the most spectacular meteor showers of the year. In addition to containing up to 120 or even 150 meteors per hour during its peak, this meteor shower is also the brightest and most colorful of the year.

Geminid meteors are bright, slow-moving meteors that often have yellow hues, but can be a range of other colors, including green, blue, white, red or orange. Unlike most meteors, which are produced by comet debris, Geminid meteors are the remains of an asteroid.

The night of Gemini’s peak, its radiant, the constellation Gemini, will be above the horizon all night and will reach its highest point around 2 a.m. local time, so meteors will be visible almost all night.

That same night, the moon will be about 32 percent illuminated and will rise around 1:30 a.m. in the eastern U.S., so if you view this shower a little after midnight, the moonlight won’t interfere with your viewing experience.

It will come later in 2025

Orchids (December)

The Ursids are active from approximately December 17 to 26, peaking in the early morning hours of December 22. This meteor shower is less active than others, typically producing about 10 meteors per hour; However, viewing conditions will be ideal for sky viewing. The moon will set around 6 pm in the eastern United States on the 21st, so moonlight will not interfere with this meteor shower.

Although the Ursids typically produce the largest number of meteors just before dawn, when their radiant, the Little Dipper (or Ursa Minor), is highest in the sky, you’ll be able to see meteors all night during the peak of this shower. In northern latitudes, the Ursids are above the horizon all night.

Bathing to look for next year

Quartets (January)

Quadrantids occur in December and January and reach their peak during the first week of the year. This meteor shower has a sharp peak, meaning that most of its activity occurs in a narrow period of time. Quadrantids typically produce numerous fireball meteors, i.e. very bright meteors, with up to 120 meteors per hour during the shower’s peak.