Geminid meteor shower 2022 live: Shooting stars to light up sky over UK and US tonight

This is how last night’s Geminid meteor shower appeared in Big Meadows in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia – courtesy of nature photographer Peter Forister.

The US has a few more hours to wait for the sun to set and the shooting stars to appear, but hopefully we’ll get some pictures from today’s UK shower.

The Geminid meteor shower will be visible in the UK from 18:00 GMT tonight, according to Anna Gammon-Ross, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. This is right now, so if the skies are clear near you, take a look outside.

“For the best chance of spotting the twins, find a dark area with a clear sky and give your eyes about 20 minutes to adjust to the darkness,” she says. “It may also be advisable to lie down as you may be looking up for a long time.”

If you miss her tonight, don’t worry. Anna says they will be visible until December 20th.

The weather may be great (in the UK at least) for seeing the Geminid meteor shower tonight, but a new full moon means it’ll be a little harder than if the moon were closer to a new moon.

Nasa predicts between 30 and 40 “shooting stars” per hour at its peak.

“Don’t miss the annual Geminids meteor shower,” Nasa tweeted.

“A waning crescent makes it harder to see most of the shower, but the twins are shining so brightly there should be up to 30-40 visible every hour!”

The weather could hardly be better for a December evening as the UK Met Office is forecasting clear skies for most of the country tonight.

Aside from parts of Cornwall and Devon, people in England and Wales should be in for a good performance after the sun goes down. Unfortunately, conditions in North East Scotland and Northern Ireland do not look ideal.

Here’s what the weather will look like tonight at 22:00 GMT, according to the Met Office’s latest forecast:

To have the best chance of seeing the meteors, you should be at the best spot. There are many things to do to make sure you’re watching at your best.

The usual advice is that it’s best to move away from buildings and other light sources to view the meteor shower. This year it will be very difficult in many places due to the weather.

However, due to the intensity of the moonlight this year, it is better to sit in the shade of a house or a tree. This will help ensure your view isn’t blocked by the bright moon.

Otherwise, go into as wide, open, and dark a space as you can given the conditions. Light pollution like street lights still makes it harder to see the sky, so even a small reduction in the amount of interference helps.

When that’s done, look up. The meteors seem to come from all over the sky, so as long as you’re looking toward the stars, you have a chance of spotting one.

(They appear to be from the constellation of Gemini – hence their name – but if you’re just looking at them, the number you’ll see may actually be limited. Instead, choose a dark spot in the sky and stay alert.)

The true peak of the meteor shower is early on December 14th. There’s still some time to see it – but not much time. The last opportunity is December 17th, although there won’t be many to see then.

This picture, taken in 2014, shows what a Gemini good night looks like. More than 100 meteors can be seen in the composite image.

… to The Independent‘s coverage of the Geminid meteor shower.