Excited to see the peak of the upcoming Geminid meteor shower? Do not get your hopes up just yet. The December supermoon might interfere with the highly expected meteor shower as the two celestial events will happen at the same time.
According to a report from Space.com, the December supermoon will happen tomorrow, Dec. 13, at 7:05 p.m. Those who would like to witness the last full moon of the year will be delighted as the December supermoon will grace the sky all night until dawn.
The supermoon will be located at the "lower horn tip of the constellation Taurus" and will not be that far from the constellation Gemini, where the Geminid meteor shower is expected to peak.
The supermoon's bright moonlight might overshadow the Geminid meteor shower, which, according to the Observer's Handbook of the Royal Astronomical Society, will peak at the same time as the December supermoon on Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. EST.
The Geminids meteor shower usually last for 10 hours but stargazers might find it difficult to enjoy the event in all its glory due to the supermoon's light. The December supermoon is the third supermoon for 2016, with the biggest occurring in November, Wired reports.
The Geminid meteor shower is no ordinary celestial show as it comes with about 120 meteors per hour, blazing bright in the night sky. However, that meteor count might go down to 40 as the supermoon overshadows it, leaving skywatchers with future shooting stars to see.
If you're still keen on witnessing the Geminid star show, those located in the Northern Hemisphere may start seeing the meteor shower just after the sunset while those in Southern Hemisphere will see it just after midnight,
Meanwhile, Chris Fenwick, an astronomer from the Longo Planetarium, tells New Jersey.com some tips on how to get a better view of the meteor shower despite the supermoon.
"You'll want to look on the other side of the sky, away from the moon. If you have trees around your house shading the moon, even better," he said.
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