Vietnam awaits the most spectacular meteor shower of the year.

Vietnam will have the opportunity to observe the Geminids – the largest meteor shower of the year, with the peak number of meteors reaching over 100 per hour this weekend.

The Geminids meteor shower consistently ranks among the most spectacular meteor showers of the year due to its brilliance and frequency. It typically occurs annually between December 4th and 17th. This year, according to the International Meteor Organization (IMO), the peak of the meteor shower is predicted to occur at 12 PM UT on December 14th, which is 7 PM Hanoi time.

"The best time to observe in Vietnam is from the night of December 13th to the morning of December 14th," said Dang Tuan Duy of the Ho Chi Minh City Amateur Astronomy Club (HAAC), adding that under ideal viewing conditions, the number of meteors could reach 120 per hour, while under normal conditions it is 50-100 per hour.

Location of the radiant point of the Geminids meteor shower. Vietnamese translation: HAAC.

According to Duy, the radiant point of the meteor shower is the Gemini constellation. This constellation gradually rises from the east around 8 PM and continues to ascend until nearly dawn.

Viewers can start observing from around 10 PM when the meteor shower is quite high in the sky until dawn. "However, after midnight on December 14th, the moon gradually rises from the eastern horizon, significantly hindering the ability to observe the meteor trails. Furthermore, Vietnam is currently affected by a storm and a strong cold front, so observation will be affected," Duy noted.

The Geminids meteor shower originates from the object 3,200 Phaethon, which scientists believe is the remnant of a comet's core left over after its journeys, with its outer layer of ice and rock blown away by solar winds. In the past, 3,200 Phaethon crossed Earth's orbit, leaving behind a trail of rocky dust.

According to VnExpress