Geminid meteor shower promises interstellar treat on December 14
Look high into the sky on the night of December 14-15 and enjoy a spectacular treat – the Geminid meteor shower should unleash about 120 bright meteors per hour visible with the naked eye to the Thai public gazing in dark and cloudless areas.
Even in light-polluted areas, the Geminid meteor shower will be bright and easy-to-spot. It occurs every December 4-17 and this year, say astronomers, it will peak from 8.30pm on December 14 until 3.55am on December 15 for Thai viewers.
This shower's centre will be in the northeastern direction of the sky and can be seen with bare eyes from every part of Thailand on December 14 thanks to the waning moon, said Saran Poshyachinda, director of the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (Narit).
Another annual meteor shower, the Ursids, will peak on the night of December 22, although with only 10 shooting stars per hour, said Saran.
Narit has joined with Chiang Mai's Doi Inthanon National Park to bring about 100 people to observe the Geminid meteor shower from Doi Inthanon, the country's highest peak, amid chilly weather. The lucky picks have joined the “Open sky … look for stars” programme.
Those of us who have not joined can choose one of three prime Geminids viewing location selected by Narit – an observatory in Nakhon Ratchasima, an observatory in Chachoengsao and a star-watching activity in Songkhla's Samila beach.
Or we can just stare into the northeast sky from the clearest location we can find.