Shoot for the stars: Geminids meteor shower visible from Thailand tonight

The bright speedy trail of the meteors across the atmosphere produces a spectacle we recognize as shooting stars, according to science website Spacedex.

The waxing moon and clear skies will provide ideal settings for viewing the shower, which NASA says should produce 100 shooting stars each hour. White will be the main color, but stargazers may be able to spot yellow, blue, green and red too.

While most meteor showers come from comet debris, the Geminds are the debris of an asteroid called 3200 Phaethon. Because of this, it can penetrate deeper into Earth’s atmosphere than most other meteor showers, creating beautiful long arcs viewable for 1-2 seconds, according to NASA.

No binoculars or telescopes are needed as this will restrict your view and make it more likely for you to miss a shooting star - just get outside, try to get away from bright artificial lights and enjoy the show.

The star show should start around 8.30pm tonight and last until dawn tomorrow morning, according to the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand.

Meteor gazers are advised to face away from the moon and the Gemini constellation - which the shower is named after because it appears to come from that direction - so the light from the bright moon will fall on the shower. 

Photographers are advised to put their cameras on a tripod facing northeast, use a wide angle lens and crank up the ISO to 1600, according to the National News Bureau.

For those outside Bangkok, the Royal Observatories at Nakhon Ratchasima and Chachoengsao will be open for the public to view the show, while Doi Inthanon National Park in Chiang Mai also has 120 places for people to go up the mountain, the highest point in Thailand, and observe the stars - call 05-322-5569 to reserve a spot.

Here's a cool timelapse of the Geminids in California from 2012: