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Celestial Christmas decoration: Sky will light up with Geminid meteor shower this December

NASA shared a video which informs people about Geminid meteor shower 2020.

Published on: Dec 3, 2020, 23:57:42 IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By
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Attention stargazers, dust off those binoculars and get ready for an early Christmas gift. Wondering what we’re talking about? It’s the Geminid meteor shower 2020 we’re talking about.

The image is a screenshot from a video shared by NASA (representational image). (YouTube/NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
The image is a screenshot from a video shared by NASA (representational image). (YouTube/NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory)

From December 4 to 17, people will be greeted to this ‘most reliable of annual meteor showers’ and the best in 2020, according to a blog by NASA. This is an annual event which takes place almost at the same time every year as “Earth plows through the trail of dusty debris left behind in the orbit of asteroid 3200 Phaethon.”

This year, however, the event will be even better as the peak of the shower coincides with a nearly new moon. This means that the sky will be darker and the meteors will be better visible as there will be less moonlight to interfere with its brightness.

Meteors can appear in any part of the sky. However, they will radiate from near the constellation Gemini. The best way to view the shower is to find a safe location that is not flooded by the bright city lights.

NASA also shared a video which informs people about Geminid meteor shower 2020, besides other things.

In case you’re unaware, December also has another surprise for people. This month, for the first time in nearly 800 years, Jupiter and Saturn will come closer and will look like a double planet.

Are you excited for these celestial events?

  • Trisha Sengupta
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Trisha Sengupta

    Trisha Sengupta is a Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over six years of digital newsroom experience. Specialising in high-engagement storytelling, she blends viral trends with traditional journalism to cover the intersection of technology, finance, and human emotion. Her reporting spans real estate and personal finance struggles in hubs like Bengaluru and Gurgaon, the NRI experience, and corporate shifts like tech layoffs. Trisha also frequently tracks global figures and writes human interest stories. Offline, Trisha is an avid reader, history enthusiast and solo traveler. She balances her journalism career with family life while actively integrating AI tools into her modern storytelling approach.Read More