‘Shooting Star’, the word brings back a lot of childhood memories. My personal favourite is seeing a shooting star and quickly trying to make a wish but missing it every single time because of its sudden and short-lived nature. Imagine seeing thousands of such shooting stars falling from the sky one pre-defined night. A beautiful sight, right? Also, that will probably give us enough time and hope to make all our wishes come true, won’t it? Let’s read more to see how and when to make that possible.
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Shooting Stars:
Shooting stars are nothing but meteoroids, which are tiny bits of space dust that are burning up in the earth’s atmosphere. A meteoroid becomes a meteor when it strikes the atmosphere and leaves a bright tail behind it.
Because of its sudden and short-lived appearance, there are many alleged myths associated with the meteors, some are related to omen/ill-omen, while some just due to misunderstanding of scientific facts.
But not to worry folks, most meteors are smaller than a grain of sand, so almost all of them just burn out in the atmosphere and never hit the Earth’s surface. Usually, a few shooting stars are believed to be seen occasionally. But there are few specific times in a year when a phenomenon called Meteor Shower can be observed.
Meteor Shower:
Meteor shower is a celestial event where a lot of meteors are seen to originate from one point in the night sky. Two of the most visible meteor showers are Perseids and Geminid. Perseids reach peak in mid-monsoons while Geminids in mid-December. This gives Geminids showers better visibility, considering the fact that winter sky is devoid of clouds, hence more clear.
Imagine having a shooting star party on a cold winter night, packed up in your sleeping bags, with no need for a telescope or binoculars and no need to climb high mountains.
Just a few friends, cosy climate, a warm blanket, and a show of hundreds of stars. If this sounds comforting, then keep reading to know the best time and place to get on board such a party.
14th December – Party Night
Geminids Meteor Shower has been marked by the scientists as one of the best meteor showers of the year. Every year, Geminid peaks around mid-December, usually somewhere around 13-15th December. This year around, it’s expected to peak on the night of 14th December. The best time to view the shower is between mid-night to pre-dawn, when it’s usually pitch dark, giving the shower a better visibility. To watch the shower, you need to go to the darkest place possible, preferably a few kilometres away from the city to avoid the city-lights interfering with the darkness of the night.
This year around the Geminids is expected to be capable of producing around 100 or more meteors per hour at a dark site, reaching the maximum count around 2 a.m. in the morning of 15th December.
Once you reach the venue selected for the star gazing party, all you need is a little time to make your eyes relaxed and adjusted to the darkness of the night, along with a little patience. With these in your kitty, you are all set to witness the most beautiful phenomenon of the year. The quality of the ‘show’ depends on the time you are observing, the conditions of the sky, the phase of the moon, and a few other things.
Pro – Tip:
To get the most out of the night, lie down, get cosy in your blanket, let your eyes relax and wander in the sky. Try not to fixate your eyes at any one spot. This way you are likely to notice any movement and would see more meteors. If you are patient and lucky enough, you can see a meteor every few minutes.
Carry a warm blanket, some warm milk in a thermos or even better, carry some hot chocolate.
Feels like your kind of peace, does it? Follow the link to join us this 14th December on a quiet, dark, and peaceful campsite to witness the beauty of the most wonderful meteor showers of the year and be a part of our own party with the shooting stars. Also, do remember to carry a wish list this time. Ain’t getting a better opportunity folks!!!
