Just last week, the highest supermoon of the year rose in Munich’s night sky and now the next astronomical highlight awaits us. From around December 7 to 17, the Geminids will pass across the night sky. The meteor stream has seen an increase in visible shooting stars in recent years and is now even overtaking the Perseids in August. We’ll tell you when and how you can watch it over Munich.
The Geminids: Up to 150 shooting stars per hour
The Geminids occur every year in December and are observed much less frequently than the Perseids in August due to the colder weather. Their radiant, from which the shooting stars originate, reaches its maximum around midnight, which means that the Geminids can be seen in the early evening hours. However, the brightest shooting stars only appear after the maximum. Another special feature of the Geminids is that they originate from an asteroid and not from a comet, like most other meteor streams. This asteroid, the Patheon, lies near the constellation Gemini, from which the Geminids take their name.
Over the last few years and decades, the activity of the meteor stream has increased and now even exceeds that of the Perseids in summer. On average, 30 to 60 shooting stars can be observed per hour; the absolute maximum to date was almost 200 in 2015. Since then, however, the number has decreased again and has leveled off at 140 to 150.
The Geminids over Munich
If you want to observe the meteor stream over Munich, you should mark the night of December 13 in your calendar. From December 13 to 14, the stream reaches its peak and you can observe the most shooting stars. The Geminids appear particularly bright in the sky, which is why you also have a good chance of seeing them in the city if the sky is cloud-free. However, you will of course see the most shooting stars in places where light pollution is as low as possible.
The Geminids are considered particularly spectacular as they shine very brightly and move comparatively slowly across the sky at just 35 kilometers per hour. To make sure you don’t miss this spectacle, you should therefore seek out as dark a place as possible from Saturday to Sunday and look up at the sky, especially around midnight, when the radiant reaches its maximum in the south-southeast. However, you can spot the Geminids all night long from 6 pm. So make a date with your friends, tell your family or plan a romantic date and watch the shooting stars. Maybe a few last Christmas wishes will come true.