The Geminid meteor shower peaks tonight! How to see the year's last big display of 'shooting stars' before it's too late.

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The Geminid meteor shower peaks overnight on Dec. 13 and 14. Up to 120 "shooting stars" per hour will rain down on Earth, but a near-full moon may hamper viewing.

A long exposure shot of a meteor shower over a landscape with a pond and trees
The Geminid meteor shower in 2020 from the Fred C. Babcock/Cecil M. Webb Wildlife Management Area near Punta Gorda, Florida. (Image credit: Diana Robinson Photography via Getty Images) (Image credit: Diana Robinson Photography via Getty Images)

The most prolific meteor shower of the year, the Geminids, will peak overnight tonight and tomorrow (Dec. 13 and 14). The only annual meteor shower that scientists know for sure is caused by an asteroid rather than a comet, the Geminids meteor shower's peak night will this year be somewhat dampened by the appearance of a near-full moon.

With December's full moon, the "Cold Moon," rising on Sunday, Dec. 15, it will already be above the horizon and shining brightly as the sun sets tonight. Skywatchers are unlikely to see as many of the (up to) 120 shooting stars per hour during the peak that many hope for — but this is still an event to be outside for around midnight.

The strongest meteor shower of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, the Geminids are often bright and intensely colored, according to the American Meteor Society. Active from Monday, Dec. 2 to Saturday, Dec. 21, the Geminids tend to be yellow, according to NASA, but may also be white and green.

Related: The Geminid meteors may be 10 times older than we thought, simulations of oddball asteroid Phaethon suggest

The Geminids are caused by 3200 Phaethon, which is thought to be an asteroid. Each December, Earth crosses the asteroid's path; debris left in the wake of the asteroid tumbles through Earth's atmosphere, heating up and producing "shooting stars," or meteors. Discovered in 1982, asteroid Phaethon orbits the sun every 1.4 Earth years and displays a comet-like tail for a few days when the asteroid passes closest to the sun. That's unusual; asteroids, which are mostly rocky, do not typically form tails when they get close to the sun.

Research published in 2023 revealed that sodium gas is released from the minerals in 3200 Phaethon while carbon dioxide and water vapor cause enough pressure to lift small dust particles from its surface. Together, these two processes form its tail.

As the Geminids peak this year, 2024's final meteor shower will also be getting underway. The Ursids, which appear to come from Ursa Major — most famous for its shape of stars called the Big Dipper — runs from Friday, Dec. 13 through Tuesday, Dec. 24, peaking overnight on Saturday, Dec. 21 and Sunday, Dec. 22, when 5-10 shooting stars may be seen in darker night skies. On that peak night, the year's last quarter moon will rise after midnight.

Editor's note: This article was updated on Dec. 13 to reflect that the Geminids peak tonight and on Saturday.

Jamie Carter
Jamie Carter
Live Science contributor

Jamie Carter is a Cardiff, U.K.-based freelance science journalist and a regular contributor to Live Science. He is the author of A Stargazing Program For Beginners and co-author of The Eclipse Effect, and leads international stargazing and eclipse-chasing tours. His work appears regularly in Space.com, Forbes, New Scientist, BBC Sky at Night, Sky & Telescope, and other major science and astronomy publications. He is also the editor of WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com.