Massive meteor shower to light up UAE skies next week

This year's Geminid meteor shower is expected to peak on the night of December 13

The 2018 Lyrid meteor shower over Ontario, Canada. Nasa

A large meteor shower is expected to light up UAE skies next week.

The Geminids meteor showers occur annually from December 7 to 17, peaking predictably on the night of December 13.

But experts said this year’s show could be even more spectacular.

The shower is strengthening because the stream of debris generated by the Geminids has thickened over time.

You don't need any special equipment or a lot of skills to view a meteor shower. All you really need is a clear sky

On average, it has recorded more than 100 meteors per hour during the height, but this year, experts said it will reach 150 per hour, with one visible every 24 seconds or so.

However, in 2014, there were 253 meteors at the peak, and experts said it could reach up to 300 meteors – which tend to be fast and yellow – per hour this year.

According to Dubai Astronomy Group, conditions will be particularly good this year because the new moon will be on December 14, meaning there will be no moonlight to interfere with the view.

“You don't need any special equipment or a lot of skills to view a meteor shower,” said Dubai Astronomy Group chief executive, Hasan Al Hariri. The group is hosting a paid-for event to observe the event on the evening of Sunday, December 13.

Enthusiasts are hoping to see as many as 150 meteors an hour at the height of the Geminids shower.

“Even though all you really need is a clear sky.”

According to forecasts on BBC, the skies should be favourable on big coastal cities to see the showers.

For the best viewing experience, sky gazers can get a secluded viewing spot as far as possible from the city lights.

Using an app like MeteorActive, which is free, can help locate a good viewing spot.

The Geminids are among several meteor showers that occur throughout the year.

However, they are the only showers not generated by a comet, but from what appears to be an asteroid, called 3200 Phaethon, according to Nasa.

How it generates the debris is, however, a mystery. There are several theories, many of which have been dismissed by Nasa.

One of the most popular theories is Phaethon is a rock comet.

“The problem with this theory is that it doesn't account for the amount of dust in the Geminid stream,” said Nasa.

“So what it comes down to is that the Geminid parent object is a mystery.”

The showers were first spotted in the mid-1800s, but at first they only generated around 10 to 20 meteors an hour.

They have since grown stronger into some of the most significant showers because Jupiter's gravity has tugged the stream of particles from 3200 Phaethon closer to Earth over the centuries, according to Dubai Astronomy Group.

Perseid meteor shower in pictures

A meteor streaks through the night sky, past planet Mars (C, left), during the Perseids meteor shower over the lake of Kozjak, Macedonia, in August 2018. Georgi Licovski / EPA

A long exposure image shows Stars revolving around the North Star during a 'Night of falling stars' on the Col de la Givrine, near Saint-Cergue, Switzerland, in August 2018. Salvatore Di Nolfi / EPA

The Perseids meteor shower is seen over San Miguel de Aguayo, Spain, in August 2017. Pedro Puente Hoyos / EPA

A Perseids meteor illuminates the dark sky near Comillas in northern Spain in August 2017. Cesar Manso / AFP

A Perseids meteor shower burns up in the atmosphere behind a Catholic church near the village of Rubezhevichi, some 50 km from Minsk, Belarus, in August 2017. Tatyana Zenkovich / EPA

A girl lies in hammock as she looks at the milky way during the peak of Perseid meteor shower in Kozjak, Macedonia, in August 2018. Ognen Teofilovski / Reuters