The night of December 13-15 is the maximum interval of the Gemini meteor shower. The Gemini meteor shower is currently one of the meteor showers with the largest number of visible meteors in the whole year, with a maximum flow of about 150 per hour in the best environment, and a large number of fire meteors. Although there is some moonlight interference this year, it is still an astronomical phenomenon worth watching. Among them, the conditions were best in the early morning of the 14th (especially after the moon).
In terms of weather, most of the country has maintained a state of little rain since December, which is a positive for astronomical observations. However, from the perspective of circulation situation forecasts, the 500 hpa Nanchi westerly wind fluctuations develop in the plateau area and the Yangtze River Basin, and the low layers turn to warm and wet southwest winds, and the weather conditions in this area may not be ideal. The north branch trough is affecting the northern Xinjiang region; eastern Taiwan is affected by the uplift of the sea northeast wind terrain, and it will not have good weather. However, in most other areas, the westerly wind belt is straight, and most of the north is controlled by dry northwest airflow, and the weather is very likely to be sunny.
December 14th 00Z500 hPa potential stack 850hPa wind field forecast map, made by Zhongqi Love
Corresponding to the cloud volume forecast, it can be seen that most of China is mainly cloudy to sunny, and cloudy days are mainly distributed in southern Yunnan - Sichuan Basin - Guizhou, Qinling Mountains and western border areas. Among them, the cloud cover in the eastern part of the Yangtze River Basin is not dense, and there are certain observation opportunities, but non-enthusiasts do not recommend sticking to waiting. In addition, the central and eastern parts of Liaoning and the northern part of the northeast may also be disturbed by clouds, and the uncertainty is large. The weather in South China is also generally sunny, and only Hainan Island may be affected by the terrain and some cloud disturbances.
National cloud cover forecast for midnight after December 14, from windy
For meteor observations, in addition to weather conditions, light pollution and atmospheric cleanliness will also affect the number of visible meteors. The latter has not been particularly ideal in many parts of the central and eastern regions in recent times – due to the high incidence of smog due to weak cold air activity, the transparency of the night sky is reduced, which can only be improved in the mountains at a certain high altitude.
Live view of visibility on the evening of December 11, from NMC
In addition, the radiation cooling at night is relatively fast, and the field observation of meteor showers in the northern region needs to pay attention to cold and warm measures. The low temperature in the mountains of South China at night may also drop below 10 °C, and it is not allowed to travel lightly.
Meteor showers do not require any telescopes, just find a place with an open angle, and meteors may appear in any area of the sky. City observations are greatly reduced, but bright meteors and fire meteors can still amaze the night sky. I wish the wishes made by people with hearts on the night of the meteor shower come true!
Xiaobian Chinese New Year's Eve the Gemini fire meteor recorded by the surveillance