Tonight, the Geminids, one of the most spectacular and colourful meteor showers of the year, should be visible in the skies above Cayman.
The Geminids shower is expected to peak overnight tonight, into the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Tiyen Miller of the Cayman Islands Astronomical Society says the Geminids are particularly characterised by bright and intensely coloured meteors, and will appear to rain down from almost directly overhead.
“They’re called the Geminids because they appear to radiate away from the Gemini constellation, which for us around midnight will be really high in the sky,” he said.
The Cayman Islands National Weather Service is predicting partially cloudy skies today, which, coupled with the bright waning gibbous moon may end up interfering with sightings, but with an estimated 100 meteors a minute, there’s a good chance viewers will spot some.
“The not so great news is we’ve got quite a bright moon at the moment that’s rising around 10:30 in the evening, so as the moon gets higher and higher in the sky towards midnight or so, it will affect your chances of seeing the dimmer meteors because it’s going to be quite a bright light up there,” Miller said.
“So, there are pluses and minuses, but by all means, go out and have a look Tuesday night and hopefully you’ll see some really bright meteors. It’s one of the best things to see all year long. If you’re lucky, you might even get over 100 meteors an hour,” he added.
Bill Cooke, lead of NASA’s Meteoroid Environments Office at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, suggests on NASA’s online blog that people wanting to view the meteor shower should sit in the shade of a house or tree while maintaining a view of the open sky to alleviate moonlight interference.
Unlike most meteor showers, the Geminids are not associated with a comet, but with debris from an asteroid – the 3200 Phaethon, which orbits the Earth every 1.4 years.
The NASA blog advises that the best time to view the meteor shower is between 10pm and 3am, Cayman time, though the meteors should be visible throughout the night, until sunrise.
It states, “For prime viewing, find an area away from city and streetlights… lie flat on your back with your feet facing south, and look up. Practice patience because it will take approximately 30 minutes for your eyes to fully adjust and see the meteors. Refrain from looking at your cell phone or other bright objects to keep your eyes adjusted.”
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