Geminid meteor shower 2022 Birmingham: How to see it, peak times and Met Office weather forecast

The Geminid meteor shower will be visible from Birmingham this week. It’s one of the most consistent annual meteor showers, occurring every year in mid to late December.

They will be visible from December 4 to December 17, with the phenomenon peaking between December 13 and 14 - 150 shooting stars are expected to be visible each hour. According to Royal Museums Greenwich, the Geminids become more intense each year.

They were first observed and recorded back in 1862 and can be seen clearly with the naked eye. Telescopes, binoculars and other such equipment won’t be necessary - but if you want a better view, there’s nothing stopping you from using them.

As well as the Quadrantids, the Geminids are the only known meteor shower that does not originate from a comet. They will appear as various different colours in the sky, including white, yellow, green, red and blue.

The Geminids aren’t something to be missed - they are as close to a natural fireworks show as you can get. If you’d like to see them in Birmingham, here’s everything you’ll need to know.

How to watch the Geminid Meteor Shower in Birmingham

The Geminid meteor shower peaks in December every year. In 2022, it is set to be at its most intense during the night of Wednesday, December 13 and into the early hours of Thursday, December 14. Unlike most meteor showers, the Geminids will be visible before midnight.

Unfortunately, 2022 is not set to be a good year for seeing the Geminid meteor shower. The moon will rise at around 9:30pm on Wednesday, which will drown out the light from the meteors. In 2023, the meteor shower is expected to peak between December 22 and 23.

They won’t be completely invisible - but they will be harder to see than they normally would be. As such, it’s a good idea to find an ideal place to view them.

You will want to avoid anywhere that has light pollution, such as Birmingham City Centre. It is also set to be very cold on Wednesday night in Birmingham - the Met Office estimates the temperature will be around -2.C to -3.C.

Met Office weather forecast:

While the Met Office is predicting cold temperatures in Birmingham during Wednesday night, the conditions look to be ideal outside of this. There is virtually no chance of rain (less than 5%) and the sky isn’t set to be particularly cloudy (apart from at 8pm, where cloudy weather is forecasted anomalously).

During the evening, it could get as cold as -7.C. As such, it’s advisable to not stay out too long. The Met Office is also predicting “very good” visibility levels throughout the night.