Geminid meteor shower: The best time to watch it from Australia

Australian stargazers can look forward to a spectacular meteor shower over the coming hours.

The yearly Geminid meteor shower is returning, reaching its pinnacle on the evening of Wednesday, December 14 and early morning on Thursday, December 15.

Astronomer Jonti Horner, from the University of Southern Queensland, writes in The Conversation the best time to watch the meteor display will be late on Wednesday before the moon rises.

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While its glare will wash out and hide the fainter meteors, the Geminids should still put on a good display, he says.

"For around 24 hours, centred on the evening of December 14, Earth will be passing through the densest part of the meteor stream. That's when the view will be best."

Horner advises heading outside to watch them when the Geminids begin to rise from their radiant point - the astronomical term for the part of the night sky where the meteors appear to fall.

Below are the approximate times when the Geminid radiant rises across Australian capital cities.

• Brisbane 9pm AEST
• Sydney 10.30pm AEDT
• Canberra 10.45pm AEDT
• Melbourne 11pm AEDT
• Hobart 11.30pm AEDT
• Darwin 9.30pm ACST
• Adelaide 11pm ACDT
• Perth 10pm AWST

First observed in the mid-1800s, the shower initially delivered only 20 visible meteors per hour at maximum.

Since then, the Geminids have reappeared every year, growing stronger in numbers.

By the 1960s, the event had surpassed the substantial August Perseids, once the stronger shower with hourly rates of 50 to 100 meteors.

The Geminids are unique in that their source is the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, while most other meteor showers are born out of debris from icy comets.

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What is a meteor shower?

A meteor shower occurs when the Earth passes through the orbit of a comet's tail.

The particles that comets shed create colourful streaks, known as a meteor shower, when they collide with the atmosphere.

To best view a meteor shower, people are advised to watch it away from bright lights.