BOSTON-De Geminids meteor shower will peak Friday and Saturday evenings and you’ll have a chance to see it in the skies over Boston.
When should you watch the meteor shower?
The Geminids are typically one of the best meteor shows of the entire year, often producing dozens of shooting stars per hour!
This year we have one big hurdle: the moon. Unfortunately, the moon is approaching its full phase and will rise in the late afternoon over the next few days. Therefore, it will shine brightly during peak hours for the Geminids. This will wash out or obscure about 75% of typical meteors, meaning you’ll probably only see 5-15 per hour.
Your best chance is actually in the early morning hours, when the moon sets.
There will be very little cloud cover over the next few nights, so there is no need to worry in that area. You’ll need to bundle up because temperatures drop into the teens and low twenties every night.
Full cold moon
Speaking of, the moon will officially be full at 4:02 a.m. on Sunday. In December it is known as the full ‘cold’ moon for obvious reasons. It will rise in the east at 3:14 PM on Saturday and 4:12 PM on Sunday.
Finally, watch the moon and Jupiter about an hour after sunset over the next few days. They will be close together in the east-northeast. Friday night the moon will be just above Jupiter and Saturday night they will be next to each other.