As the Earth cuts through the stream of debris deposited by 3200 Phaethon, material strikes our planet's atmosphere, creating the annual Geminid meteor shower. This visualization depicts Earth's encounter with the densest part of that stream on the night of December 13-14, 2019.
"The annual Geminid meteor shower peaks on Friday night, December 13–14, when upwards of 100 meteors per hour are typically seen from a pristine site under moonless conditions. But this year, there's one little problem: the sky won't be moonless. A fat, waning gibbous sits smack in the middle of Gemini, not far from the shower's radiant. Bad news, right? Yes and no. If we assume the Moon will pare down the display by two-thirds, that still leaves 20-30 meteors per hour. To put those numbers in context, the diminished Geminids still equal or better the well-known Leonid, Orionid, and Lyrid showers viewed under ideal conditions. It doesn't hurt that the Geminids are also known for producing lots of fireballs — exceptionally luminous streaks that flare to magnitude –4 or brighter. Bottom line: I'll be watching, and hope you will too. ..."
Sky & Telescope
W - Geminids
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