Maritime sky clears for peak of Geminids meteor shower

In this Dec. 14, 2023 photo provided by NOIRLab, meteors from the Geminid meteor shower streak across the sky above the Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a program of the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab, located about 56 miles (90 kilometers) southwest of Tucson in the Tohono O'odham Nation. (Source: NSF/NOIRLab via AP, File)

Good news for night sky viewers as the sky will clear for much of the Maritimes the next couple of nights. The Geminids meteor shower reaches peak Friday night.

Geminids meteor shower

The Geminids are a meteor shower created by the asteroid designated as 3200 Phaethon. The asteroids orbit brings it relatively close to the sun compared to other such objects. As the Earth moves into debris associated with the asteroid it produces a meteor shower that appears to radiate from the constellation Gemini, giving the shower its name.

The constellation Gemini rises above the northeastern horizon through the evening. It is high over the southeastern horizon by midnight. Helpfully the bright planet Jupiter will be located close by Friday night. If you can spot Jupiter, the constellation Gemini will be just to the east. The moon will also be close by, just to the west of Jupiter, and works against ideal meteor viewing because it will be nearly full and quite bright. It is still possible to view meteors but less moonlight would’ve been more ideal.

During the peak of the shower, the Geminids shower has been know to produce 120-to-160 meteors per hour.

Cloud cover forecast

With high pressure building in from the west, a relatively clear night sky can be expected for the Maritimes Friday and Saturday.

There are a few exceptions. A continuing northwest wind is likely to generate some cloud and flurries off ocean waters. Watch for that in the southwest of Nova Scotia, the North Shore of Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, and the northeast of Prince Edward Island. Sky conditions for those areas are likely to be more partly cloudy for periods of time during the night. Relatively dry air in place for the region will help prevent widespread fog formation during the nights.

If aiming to view the Geminids, you will want to find an are of dark sky conditions, allow your eyes to adjust to the dark, be patient, and bundle up! It will be cold both Friday night and Saturday night.