A meteor burns up in the sky over the desert north of Kuwait City during the annual Geminid meteor shower early on Dec. 15, 2023. (Image credit: Yasser Al-Zayyat/Getty Images)
Published 2025-12-12 18:00
Geminids is one of the year’s biggest meteor showers
Look up and get ready to make a wish tonight because you might see one of the biggest and brightest meteor showers of the entire year: the Geminids!
This year’s Geminids will be extra bright because the moon will be a waning crescent. That basically means it won’t be as bright, so conditions will be ideal for spotting shooting stars.
What is the Geminid meteor shower?
The Geminids are a yearly meteor shower that happens when the Earth passes through a trail of space dust left behind by a strange object called 3200 Phaethon.
NASA says Phaethon acts a bit like an asteroid and a bit like a comet, which makes the Geminids different from most other meteor showers.
As tiny bits of dust (we’re talking sand- or pebble-sized) hit Earth’s atmosphere, they burn up and streak across the sky. That’s what we call meteors or shooting stars.
When does it peak?
The Geminid shower started on Dec. 1, but peaks on Saturday night into early Sunday. The best time to watch it will be after 10 p.m. and it gets even better after midnight. The International Meteor Organization says you might be able to see up to 150 meteors per hour if the sky is dark and clear.
Where should you look?
The meteors appear to come from the constellation Gemini, but according to NASA, you don’t actually need to know where that is. Just look up! Even if you live in the city, you might be able to see about a dozen an hour. That’s because the Geminid shower can produce bright fireballs that can be seen even in brightly lit urban areas.
Helpful tips from NASA on how to watch:
Go somewhere dark, away from street lights
Give your eyes 20-30 minutes to adjust to the dark
DRESS WARM!!!
Bring a blanket so you can lie back and look up
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