Hong Kong Space Museum to live-stream Geminid meteor shower on December 14

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     The coming Geminid meteor shower in mid-December will be one of the most spectacular astronomical phenomena of the year. The best time for local observation will be from the night of December 14 to the early morning of December 15. The Hong Kong Space Museum will live-stream the Geminid meteor shower from 9pm to 11pm on December 14 via its YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/hkspacem) and "LCSD Plusss" Facebook page (www.facebook.com/LCSDPlusss) and introduce ways to observe the meteor shower and some relevant astronomical knowledge. It is estimated that, during the peak at 3am on December 15, the zenithal hourly rate of the meteor shower may reach 150, the highest among the many meteor showers in 2023.

     During a meteor shower, meteors appear to emanate from a point (known as the radiant) in the night sky. On December 14, the radiant of the Geminid meteor shower will rise in the northeast at about 7.30pm, and the number of meteors will increase as the radiant rises higher in the sky. As it is around the second to the third day of the lunar month, the influence of moonlight will be negligible, resulting in favourable observation conditions. Observers are advised to observe the Geminid meteor shower at a site with a wide field of view and little light pollution. More than 20 meteors may be observed in an hour during the small hours.

     As astronomical observations depend heavily on weather conditions, members of the public are advised to pay attention to the latest weather update before the outdoor activity. For details of the Geminid meteor shower and the live-streaming, please visit the Hong Kong Space Museum's website at hk.space.museum.

Ends/Tuesday, December 12, 2023
Issued at HKT 15:00

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