One of the most powerful and brightest meteor showers of the year, the Geminids, has become active and will continue until December 17, reaching its peak on the night of December 14.

This was reported by the Department of Astrophysics of Baku State University (BSU).

The meteor shower is named after the constellation Gemini, where its radiant—the point in the sky from which the meteors appear to originate—is located.

In Baku, the Geminids will be visible from 6:18 p.m. to 7:22 a.m., with the most favorable viewing time around 2:30 a.m. on December 14. At this moment, the radiant will reach an altitude of 82° above the horizon, allowing up to 119 meteors per hour to be observed under clear-sky conditions.

Observations will be further enhanced by the new Moon phase, as moonlight will not interfere with visibility. Geminid meteors enter the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of approximately 35 km/s, producing bright trails, a relatively long burn time, and a large number of fireballs.

Unlike most meteor showers that originate from comets, the Geminids are associated with the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, discovered in 1983. Phaethon approaches the Sun to a distance of about 20 million kilometers, where intense heating raises its surface temperature to around 700°C. This causes the surface to crack and release dust particles, which the Earth encounters each year, resulting in the meteor shower.

The Geminids are also known for their vivid colors: yellow from sodium, green from magnesium, and bluish-white from iron, making the display especially impressive.

Over the past 50 years, the activity of the Geminid meteor shower has increased significantly. While at the beginning of the 20th century about 20 meteors per hour were recorded, today this number can reach up to 120 due to a higher concentration of dust particles in Phaethon’s orbit.

The Geminids are expected to be one of the most spectacular astronomical events of 5 and, weather permitting, will create a memorable celestial display over the skies of Azerbaijan.