12/21/2025
A bright Geminid meteor sliced through the winter night sky. The landscape was a pristine white from earlier snowfall, while a fresh round of snow squall was fast approaching from the horizon.
The Geminid meteor shower is visible every year from December 4 to 20, and peaks around December 13 or 14. The Geminids are often bright, and surely plentiful. Under ideal conditions, one can expect to see upward of 120 meteors an hour. I took this image on the night of December 14, one day past peak. I did not capture as many meteors as I had hoped for during the two-hour shoot, but it was still a good show. On the drive to the location, a firewall streaked slowly through the sky for about 10 seconds, the meteor glowing bright green and leaving behind a bright white tail. What a spectacular sight!
The radiant of the Geminids, the point where all the meteors appear to come from, is the constellation of Gemini (the Twins), which is outside of the image. However, many other familiar winter constellations can be seen. From top left to centre: Ta**us, Triangulum, Aries, and Pisces which the meteor goes through. The cluster of bright blue stars in the top centre is the Pleiades.
