Home / Free things to do

How To Watch This Weekend's Meteor Shower

By Lisa Hayes, 9 years ago

This weekend will see the peak of the Geminid meteor shower, so we are hoping for some clear skies so the children can see some 'shooting stars'. There should be hundreds of meteors lightning up the sky on Sunday and Monday night so if conditions are right it could be a wonderful show.

The Geminids is different to other meteor showers as the meteors come from an asteroid rather than a comet, meaning they are very rocky and gritty, making them slightly easier to see than other showers. They are usually bright with long 'trains' so you have a better chance of spotting these.

Click here for more information on the Geminid Meteor Shower from the Met Office

You could see the shooting stars at any time of night from sunset to sunrise, so with the skies getting dark so early in the evenings you don't have to keep the children up late to have a peek.

Here are The Met Office tips for watching the meteor shower:

Find a spot away from bright lights and let your eyes get used to the dark – this will take about 15 to 20 minutes

Lay on a reclining chair or lounger, or just put a blanket on the floor

Use sleeping bags, blankets, and pillows, along with some food and drink, to make observing meteors as enjoyable as possible

Start looking for shooting stars – you do not need to look in any particular direction as meteors appear randomly anywhere in the sky