Dazzling meteors are already being reported on Twitter by amateur astronomers as we start to plough through the cosmic stream. Check the hashtag #meteorwatch
The shower, so named because the meteors appear to pour in from the direction of the constellation of Gemini, has become the richest and most reliable in the calendar. This year is especially favourable to view them because they will not be drowned out by moonlight.
The particles – the size of a grain of sand – flare as brilliant streaks as they “burn up” high in the atmosphere. They can appear in any part of the heavens. They are debris that was dumped long ago by a comet that has now fizzled out and become an asteroid, called 3200 Phaethon.
As well as being plentiful, the meteors are famed for being bright and many leave glowing trains lasting for several seconds in their wake.
Robin Scagell, vice-president of the UK’s Society for Popular Astronomy, said: “If the sky is clear, it is well worth wrapping up to catch these meteors. They are magic.”
