Many shooting stars above Zoetermeer: ​​look up on this date

Do you believe that you can make a wish when you see a shooting star? Then you’re in luck, because this week you can spot around 65 shooting stars per hour in Zoetermeer. This is what Marc van der Sluys, an astronomy lecturer at Utrecht University and creator of the site, tells us sky.observe.com.

On the night of Thursday 14 to Friday 15 December 2023, the Geminids meteor shower can be clearly seen. This is the second largest annual meteor shower in the sky. With the naked eye you can see about 65 shooting stars per hour. It is best to see them from a dark place, such as the Bentwoud.

The Geminids

Marc explains that the Geminids are named after the constellation Gemini, where the meteors appear to come from. The meteor shower consists of debris left behind by the asteroid Phaethon. Because the Earth moves through the debris cloud in its orbit around the sun, we see this meteor shower every year around the same date. The Geminids are characterized by their large numbers, their brightness, their yellowish color and the short trails they leave behind. They reach speeds of approximately 125,000 kilometers per hour.

Most stars

Marc: “The best time to observe the meteors is around 1 a.m. at night. The moon is 5 percent illuminated and below the horizon, making the sky dark. As a result, the conditions are reasonably favorable this year. Around 9 p.m. you can see about 30 to 40 per hour if you look east. Around 1 a.m. you can see up to 55 to 75 shooting stars per hour.”