The Geminid meteor shower hits its peak on Tuesday, but a full moon will outshine the celestial show this year. You can still see the last meteor shower of the year, and it will continue to light up the skies until Saturday if the weather allows.
The Geminid meteor shower was as impressive as the Perseid meteor shower in the Northern Hemisphere. It peaked with its most impressive views this morning, with 120 meteors crossing the sky every hour. If you miss it though, you’ll have a chance to see it every morning until this weekend, when around 60 meteors will be crossing the sky every hour from 1am to 5am.
It might sound like the perfect excuse to get up early, but Hong Kong Joint School Astronomical Society honorary advisor Phil Lee told Young Post that times when there is a lot of moonlight aren’t ideal for watching meteor showers. “Full moons are so bright these days that the meteor shower won’t look that spectacular,” he said.
Apart from overpowering moonlight, the unpredictable weather will also affect viewing conditions. Scientific Officer for the Observatory, Chan Yan-chun, said that the northeast monsoon would bring heavy clouds to the city that won’t clear until weekend.
“It will be difficult to see the meteors in such unfavourable weather conditions. You can still see them when there is space between clouds,” said Chan.
Lee added that meteors can be seen with the naked eye if the weather is clear. The best vantage point in the city is Po Toi Island, as it’s not very crowded and far from the city’s bright lights. Sai Kung and Clear Water Bay Country Park are also good places to see the meteors from.