Everything You Need to Know About This Weekend's Geminid Meteor Shower

One of the best meteor showers of the year is set to peak this weekend. Read on for the details of what to expect from this show and how to improve the odds that you catch the full beauty of the much-anticipated celestial event.

Geminid Meteor Shower to Peak This Weekend

The Geminid meteor shower is going to light up the night skies this weekend. But will you be lucky enough to catch it? This particular shower generally produces up to 120 meteors per hour under ideal conditions. The 2025 Geminids are expected to reach their peak visibility on Saturday and Sunday.

Astronomers point to the Geminids as one of the most reliable showers of the year, occurring every December as planet Earth passes through the debris left behind by the asteroid known as 3200 Phaethon.

According to NASA, although most meteor showers come as a result of comets, this shower comes from an asteroid. While Phaethon is not a comet, it forms a tail and brightens near the sun.

Discovered in 1983 by NASA's Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), 3200 Phaethon measures only 3.17 miles across. The Geminids are distinguished as the only meteor shower that was observed before its parent body was discovered. It took over 150 years for astronomers to learn that the Geminids were coming from an asteroid.