CO-ROTATING INTERACTION REGION: Minor G1-class geomagnetic storms are possible on Dec. 13th when a co-rotating interaction region (CIR) is expected to hit Earth. CIRs are transition zones between fast and slow streams of solar wind. They contain CME-like shock waves, which do a good job sparking auroras. Solar wind speeds will shoot up to 600 m/s after the CIR passes. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
THE GEMINID METEOR SHOWER PEAKS THIS WEEKEND: The best meteor shower of 2025 peaks this weekend when Earth passes through a stream of debris from 'rock-comet' 3200 Phaethon. Forecasters expect dozens of bright Geminids per hour during the nights of Dec. 12-13 (50% to 75% peak) and Dec. 13-14 (peak night).
Circumstances were similar on Dec. 14, 2022, when Juan Carlos Casado photographed a slow rain of Geminids over the Teide volcano in the Canary Islands:
"This is a composite image showing 7 hours of Geminid activity," says Casado. "In the sky above the peak of the volcano appears the great Orion nebula (M42) and the stars that make up the Hunter's belt."
Now for the real talk: Meteor showers are almost always overhyped. Even the word shower is misleading, conjuring images of meteors falling like raindrops. In reality, even a great display such as the Geminids produces only one or two meteors per minute. It’s a slow show that rewards patience. Still, if you can spend half an hour under dark skies during the Geminid peak, you’re likely to see some beautiful shooting stars--and perhaps even a fireball or two.
No matter where you live, the best time to look is during the moonless hours between 10 pm and 2 am local time. Bonus: Jupiter is there, too! Enjoy the show: sky map.
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