Geminid meteor shower 2021: When, where & how to see it

The famous Geminid meteor shower will sling bright shooting stars this December. But 2021 isn’t expected to be a spectacular year for the Geminids, as the shower’s peak on Dec. 13-14 arrives just a few days before the full moon. 

When there is no interference from moonlight, skywatchers can see up to 150 meteors per hour on the night of the peak, according to the American Meteor Society. However, due to inference from moonlight, the 2021 Geminid meteor shower may only produce maximum rates of 60 to 120 visible meteors per hour, and many of them will appear quite faint, according to Space.com’s skywatching columnist Joe Rao. That’s because moonlight from the waxing, gibbous moon will overpower all but the brightest meteors.