Meteor rain will be clearly visible in the sky today, Geminids lasting a fortnight will peak in the evening

The next few days are going to be very special regarding the Geminid meteor shower. This meteor shower, which will be active for a fortnight, will be at its peak on Wednesday evening. To see the spectacular light of this meteor shower (the place in the sky from where they originate) one has to look towards the constellation Gemini, which is why this shower is called the 'Geminids'.

The Geminids are the best meteor shower of the year that graces the skies every year in December. According to physicists, this time the Moon will interfere in the unprecedented view of Geminids. However around or before midnight (depending on where you live) the light of the moon can dim this phenomenal sight. This can be lethal for a normal meteor shower, but the Geminids are powerful enough to still provide spectacular views while fighting the glare of the Moon. It can be easily seen in the open plains or hilly areas in the open sky on Wednesday. This rain will be visible in other places but it is not necessary to be clear.

Geminids are fragments of rocky comets. Geminids are fragments of rocky comets. Our solar system is full of debris. This debris includes comets and near-Earth asteroids whose orbits around the Sun cross Earth itself. Comets and asteroids both orbit our stars and create dust and debris in space. The Geminids originated from an asteroid named 3200 Phaethon. Rocks on Phaethon expand and break up when exposed to heat, then spewing debris into space. Over thousands of years, this debris has spread around Phaethon's orbit, forming a giant tube. Every year in December we pass through this debris when the Earth moves closer to the Sun, and this combustion (though no fire) in our atmosphere causes the Geminid meteor shower.

The Geminids are active for most of this fortnight. At that point Earth will pass through the outer regions of Phaethon's debris stream, where the dust is widely dispersed. But for about 24 hours on the evening of December 14, Earth will pass through the densest part of the meteor stream and only then will the best view of the event be visible. This year, the best time to see it can be at the time of moon rise or a few moments before it.