The Geminid is one of the better meteor showers. its peak is predicted to be early in the morning of Thursday, December 13, around 1AM in Austin by SkySafari; EarthSky predicts Friday morning December 14. Meteor showers extend over several days and the Geminids should put on a good show for several nights with the best viewing between midnight and dawn. Astronomical weather forecasts show Austin to be cloudy until around 3AM Thursday morning. Transparency is predicted to be below average. Conditions in Austin are expected to be similar or even a bit worse Friday morning with skies clearing later around dawn.

Conditions are predicted to be much clearer in Fredericksburg and west of Austin. The center or radiant of the Geminid shower will be in Gemini about half way between Sirius and Polaris, well up towards the zenith in the eastern sky. This should provide excellent viewing if you have clear skies.

If you plan to photograph the meteor shower, take a look at my note on meteor shower photography and planning.

Geminid Meteor and holiday lit trees

A Geminid meteor over Austin in 2015.