An annually occurring meteor shower called ‘Geminids Meteor shower’ will be best seen in this year from Sri Lanka tonight (13), said Prof. Chandana Jayaratne, Director, Astronomy and Space Science Unit, Department of Physics, University of Colombo
Every year this meteor shower occurs on the same dates between 4-17 December with peeks over 13-14 December, Sunday Observer reported.
However, in this year due to the absence of moon light till early morning one could see more meteors. If the sky is clear and dark with no city light pollution you may be able see about 120 meteors per hour (That is about one or two meteors per minute). To observe these meteors look east after 9 p.m. on December 13, overhead at midnight, and towards the west before sunrise on December 14. The best time to observer is during the dark hours before sunrise on 14 December from about 2 a.m. to 4.30 a.m. because that is when the shower’s radiant point is highest in the sky and the peak activity occurs.
‘No binoculars or telescopes are needed to see meteors; they’ll just limit your field of view. This meteor shower is famous for its multi-colored display with track of lights seen in several colors like white, yellow, green, blue, and red. These shooting stars appeared to be coming from the direction of the star constellation Gemini and therefore got the name Geminid. The Geminids meteor shower has a broad peak, therefore observers should see meteors even on 14th and 15th nights with somewhat lesser numbers’ said Prof. Chandana Jayaratne. (Sunday Observer)