Geminids: How to see the largest and most intense meteor shower of 2025

The Geminid meteor shower is back and is expected to form one of the most intense celestial shows of the year. The peak of the phenomenon occurs in the early hours of December 13 and 14. In dark places and with good visibility it will be possible to see more than 100 meteors per hour.

What makes this event special is its unusual origin. Instead of coming from a comet, like most known showers, it originated from an asteroid called 3200 Phaeton. This causes meteors to have different characteristics, including different colors, which depend on the elements present in each fragment.

Where to watch the Geminids meteor shower and the best time

The peak of the meteor shower occurs between 2 and 3 a.m. on Sunday morning (12/14). In this window, the so-called radiant – the point in the sky where meteors emerge – is higher on the horizon. In the case of the Geminids, this radiant is in the constellation Gemini, located in the north direction.

This means that residents of regions closer to the North and Northeast tend to have a slightly better view of the phenomenon. In the south of the country, the number of visible shooting stars may be less, but still significant.

Experts consulted by Metropolises has listed some tips for observing and appreciating the phenomenon. Check it out:

Prefer dark areasaway from poles, buildings and the like lighting sources.
Avoid looking towards the Moonwhich appears around 2 a.m.
Let him eyes get used to At dark for approximately 20 minutes.
Avoid using your cell phone during observation, as screen light interferes with adaptation eyes.
No telescope or binoculars required. For this type of phenomenon, the ideal is have a wide view of the sky.

“Meteors are very small, the size of a grain of sand. The brightest will generally be pebbles measuring 1 to 2 cm, so we are talking about small objects that disintegrate easily upon entering the atmosphere. It is a very beautiful and visually interesting spectacle,” explains astrophysicist Thiago Gonçalves, director of the Valongo Observatory at the UFRJ.

Origin of the Geminid meteor shower

Every year, Earth passes through a region of space full of dust and rocks left behind by the asteroid 3200 Phaeton. It’s as if it leaves a trail along the path it takes around the Sun.

This trace is still there, and the Earth passes through the same trace every year. Upon entering the atmosphere, these small pieces heat up and quickly break apart, producing the meteor “light trails” that we see in the sky.

“Every decade we see a gradual increase in the particles released by 3200 Phaeton. This shows that the drag is charged over time,” explains geologist Álvaro Penteado Crósta, member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC).

With more pieces accumulated, the meteor shower also becomes more intense. In the past, there were about 40 to 50 meteors per hour. Today, on favorable nights, it easily reaches over 120.

The expert also points out that Phaethon is rockier than most comets. Because it contains less ice and more solid matter, it tends to release fragments more easily along its orbit.

This means that the trail it leaves remains full of small pieces year after year, ensuring that Earth always finds enough material to form the meteor shower.

The name Geminids comes from the constellation Gemini, because to those observing from Earth, meteors appear to emerge from this region of the sky.

Are there any risks in observing the Geminids meteor shower?

Although a striking phenomenon, the particles pose no risk to the surface. Science is also monitoring larger objects that could pose a real threat to Earth, and according to current astronomical data, there is no record of bodies large enough to cause significant damage in the coming centuries.

The Geminid shower therefore remains among the most reliable and accessible astronomical events on the calendar, combining beauty, science and a rare opportunity to observe the behavior of materials from an asteroid.

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