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Can Geminids be seen in South Africa?


Pretoria, capital of South Africa.

We recommend you read the introduction to meteor showers.

Geminids(GEM) meteor shower will be active from Friday, December 4 2020 until Sunday, December 20 2020. Its peak day is Monday, December 14 2020, according to information published by the International Meteor Organization. For more information, check out the meteor shower calendar 2020.

Choose a meteor shower to obtain for relevant information:

Position of Geminids

Geminids's radiant during its peak day will be at alpha=112°, delta=+33°. The zenithal hourly rate is: 150 meteors per hour.

The visibility of a meteor shower depends on several factors: geographic coordinates of observer and elevation, time of the day, city lights pollution, the weather and the terrain. For reference, we have calculated the position (elevation / azimuth) of Geminids's radiant in the sky during its peak day, Monday, December 14 2020, for the following cities in South Africa.

Choose a country to obtain relevant information:

CityTime
00:0002:0004:0006:0008:0010:0012:0014:0016:0018:0020:0022:00
Alt.Az.Alt.Az.Alt.Az.Alt.Az.Alt.Az.Alt.Az.Alt.Az.Alt.Az.Alt.Az.Alt.Az.Alt.Az.Alt.Az.
Pretoria24°28°31°25°333°313°--------------47°
Johannesburg24°28°31°25°333°313°--------------47°
Bloemfontein20°29°28°23°336°315°--------------48°
Cape Town13°34°22°10°21°343°320°----------------

The Sky and Stars in South Africa

The following is a simulation of the sky and stars as seen from Pretoria, South Africa during its peak day starting at 00:00.

You may adjust the speed of the simulator backward or forward to see the movement of the radiant over the horizon.

Content last updated on 2016-01-06