Geminids Meteor Shower Will Peak Today and Tomorrow: What to Know for an Unforgettable Date Night

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One of the best stargazing date night opportunity is happening tonight according to experts. Bright stars, clear skies and fresh air are conditions that can make for a wonderful date night. We often recommend stargazing as an easy last minute date ideas for couples as it’s got a magical feel to it. But what if you could upgrade that and see a whole meteor shower together instead? 

You’re in luck! According to NASA, the Geminids Meteor Shower will peak on 13 and 14 December 2023, which makes for the perfect occasion to surprise your partner!

120 meteors are expected per hour at the peak of the Geminids meteor shower. That’s about two geminids per minute! Though peak times are during mid-December, the meteor shower is calculated to last until December 24th 2023. 

Meteor Shower Date Night Instructions

The Geminids meteor shower is one of the best times of the year to experience something truly unique with your partner. Whether it’s your first date or you’ve been married for 50 years, it is a date night you will both remember forever.

Here are ways to make it romantic and fun:

• Wear warm clothes and hold each other to keep warm: It is likely that the weather will be cold, especially at night so dressing warm and snuggling up together is a way to both keep warm and get closer to each other. Even if it is a last minute date night, don’t forget to layer up!
• Bring a picnic: You don’t want to feel rushed so don’t forget to bring picnic food and drinks. We recommend bringing hot chocolate in a thermos and plenty of food to keep you comfortable.
• Prepare a poem: When watching meteor showers, there are definitely downtimes. Prepare a poem for your date that you can deliver during one of those downtimes. Don’t forget to tell them that they are your star and make your life shine brighter. Right on topic!
• Play some games: There are a few games you can play together including challenging each other to the one who can see the most meteors, taking bets on how many you’re going to see, taking bets on how long it will take until you see one, etc.. Astronomer David Moore actually encourages people to count the meteors and report to your local science centres. This allows scientists to gather date year after year.
• Ask each other couple’s questions: during downtimes, we recommend using some of our relationship questions to get to know each other better or to connect on different levels. Life can get busy and noisy, it’s important to take the time to reconnect on topics that matter to you.

Viewing tips for the best meteor shower date night

Here are the recommendations from Nasa to have the best experience:

• Hours: The period that will give you the most chances to see meteors is between 9pm on Wednesday and 2am on Thursday. 
• Light: The best spottings happen away from cities where light pollution is low or non-existing. If you live in a city, this is your opportunity to go to the countryside for the night.
• Direction: Have your feet facing south and lie on your back for the best chances of spotting some meteors.
• Eyes: Give your eyes about 20 minutes to adapt.
• City spotting: If you can’t leave the city, it is still worth trying to catch the shower. Geminids are known for being very bright meteors due to the fireballs they produce. They can appear in different colors but are often bright white. That makes them easily spottable. So don’t lose hope and have a go tonight. 
• Equipment needed: There is no need for a telescope or special glasses. Your eyes are enough to observe tonight’s and tomorrow’s meteors. 

2023 Geminids Meteor Shower FAQs