Geminid Meteor Shower: All you need to know about the best shooting star show of the year!

A Geminid meteor shower, with up to 20 times more shooting stars than normal, is expected to light up Irish skies this weekend.

According to Earthsky.org, "the bold, white, bright Geminids give us one of the Northern Hemisphere’s best showers," that can be watched all night long.

The best time to watch the Geminids is from dusk, starting around 5pm, and continuing until dawn the following morning.

"People in rural Ireland are likely to get the "most spectacular views possible", but city dwellers will still be treated to plenty of action as the Geminids are known for producing bright fireballs," Astronomy Ireland has said.

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Astronomy Ireland is advising people to fill their field of vision with sky, which may involve craning your neck back and grabbing a chair or a blanket to sit outside and watch the show. 

PASS IT ON: The Geminids Meteor Shower peaks Friday night through the predawn hours of December 14th. Up to 120 meteors will be possible per hour with occasional fireballs! #MeteorShower #Space pic.twitter.com/w42BFJ5nzA

— Mark Tarello (@mark_tarello) December 12, 2024

"Your average meteor is no bigger than a grain of sand. When it collides with the Earth the closing speed can be of the order of 100,000mph and the friction with the thin air 100 miles above the ground quickly heats the tiny particle until it vapourises in a fiery streak which we call a shooting star and that typically only lasts one second or so. Most meteors are caused by small particles of dust that were left behind by comets. The brighter meteors come from larger particles," according to Astronomy Ireland.

The Geminid meteor shower, which began on December 4, is now at its peak.