Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
24 dead, dozens of girls at camp missing after catastrophic flooding in Texas. Read the latest Chevron right
Tropical Storm Chantal forms in Atlantic before landfall in South Carolina. Get details Chevron right

Columbus, OH

90°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Columbus

Ohio

90°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Columbus, OH Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Newsletters

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

AccuWeather Early Hurricane Center Top Stories Trending Today Astronomy Heat Climate Health Recreation In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars
Air Quality Alert

News / Astronomy

Geminid meteor shower underway, set to reach its climax on Friday night

By Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist and senior content editor

Published Dec 10, 2019 6:26 PM EDT

Copied

The night of Dec. 13-14 is the peak of the Geminid Meteor Shower, arguably one of the best showers of the year with 150 meteors per hour.

As the year nears its close, many people are already looking ahead to 2020, but stargazers remain focused on 2019 as one of the year’s top meteor showers is about to put on a dazzling display in the night sky.

“Arguably the best meteor shower of the entire year peaks on Friday night into the early hours of Saturday morning,” AccuWeather Astronomy Blogger Dave Samuhel said. “The Geminids shower is just as or slightly more active than the Perseids meteor shower of August.”

This meteor shower in particular is a good one for younger children that cannot stay up late into the night.

“The Geminids are unique in the fact it produces a large amount of meteors during the evening,” Samuhel said. Hourly rates will gradually increase as the night transpires, with the number of Geminid meteors streaking across the night sky expected to climax after midnight.

Nature’s ‘light show’ is how NASA describes the Geminid meteor shower – a meteor flash is seen here with an aurora borealis shimmer in Norway. (NASA)

The 2019 showing of the Geminids may bring as many as 150 meteors per hour, according to the American Meteor Society (AMS), but onlookers should tamper their expectations as the shower peaks the night after December’s full Cold Moon.

An abundance of natural light pollution from the moon will wash out the dimmer meteors, reducing the number of meteors visible per hour from over 100 to a few dozen. However, even the anticipated diminished rate of visible meteors is higher than many meteor showers throughout the year.

Not only are the Geminids known for their impressive numbers, but also their bright, multi-colored meteors. Onlookers should be able to see these shooting stars in areas of the sky away from the full moon, as long as Mother Nature cooperates.

“A storm will bring widespread clouds to the eastern third of the country,” Samuhel said. The storm will also spread widespread, disruptive clouds over much of Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada.

Cloudy conditions could interfere with the celestial display across parts of the north-central and northwestern U.S., but a few breaks in the clouds may allow determined stargazers to glimpse a few shooting stars.

The best viewing conditions are expected from Southern California through the Four Corners region and into the southern Plains.

Folks that miss out on the Geminids this week will have one more opportunity to see a meteor shower before the end of the year.

The night of Saturday, Dec. 21 into Sunday, Dec. 22, is the longest of the year for the Northern Hemisphere and will feature the peak of the Ursids. This is a minor meteor shower, only bringing about 10 meteors per hour, but will not be contested by the moon, allowing for great viewing conditions.

Looking ahead to 2020, the Geminid meteor shower should be significantly better than this year’s showing, falling just one night before the new moon. This will allow for people in dark, cloud-free areas to experience the best that this meteor shower has to offer.

Related:

Follow AccuWeather Astronomy on Twitter
Why do meteors glow in vibrant colors?
3 tips for stargazing without a telescope
Dave Samuhel's viewing guide for the Geminid meteor shower
Report a Typo
Comments that don't add to the conversation may be automatically or manually removed by Facebook or AccuWeather. Profanity, personal attacks, and spam will not be tolerated.
Comments
Hide Comments

Weather News

Weather News

24 dead in Texas, 25 girls from Camp Mystic missing in flooding

Jul. 5, 2025
video

Rescuers save person clinging to an electric pole amid Texas floods

Jul. 4, 2025
Weather News

Record sargassum seaweed piles up on Caribbean islands, Gulf

Jul. 2, 2025
Weather News

Alabama teen in ICU after lightning strike hits boat, causing burns an...

Jul. 2, 2025
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

AccuWeather Early

Hurricane Center

Top Stories

Trending Today

Astronomy

Heat

Climate

Health

Recreation

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

Top Stories

Weather News

24 dead in Texas, 25 girls from Camp Mystic missing in flooding

4 hours ago

Hurricane

Chantal to make landfall in South Carolina Sunday morning

1 hour ago

Severe Weather

Severe weather to rumble in the central US through the holiday weekend

7 hours ago

Severe Weather

Storms kill 3 in New Jersey, knock out power across Northeast

1 day ago

Weather Forecasts

Heat, humidity return to the East

2 hours ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Weather News

Wildfires are tearing through a popular tourist hotspot in Greece

1 day ago

Weather News

‘Shark Whisperer’ swims its way into our shark obsession

19 hours ago

Travel

Fourth of July gas hasn’t been this cheap since 2021

4 days ago

Weather News

What makes fireworks burst with vibrant colors?

19 hours ago

Health

There is no safe amount of processed meat to eat, new research shows

2 days ago

AccuWeather Astronomy Geminid meteor shower underway, set to reach its climax on Friday night
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2025 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

...

...

...