Here’s how to watch this year’s brightest meteor shower

(CNN) — It’s that time of the year again. Sky-gazers may get the chance to glimpse some of the dozens of meteors that will streak across the sky as the annual Geminid meteor shower reaches its peak.

The Geminids are expected to be most active between noon and 6 p.m. MT Friday, according to Robert Lunsford, fireball report coordinator for the American Meteor Society.

During this year’s event, the moon will be 95% full on Thursday night into Friday, which will obscure at least 75% of the activity seen in years with little to no moonlight, according to the society. The moon is expected to be its fullest on Sunday.

In an area away from the city lights with clear skies, you can best view the celestial display from 9 to 10 Friday night in any time zone, said Bill Cooke, the lead for NASA’s Meteoroid Environments Office.

But Lunsford also suggested to look for a glimpse of the meteors in the early morning hours of Friday and Saturday to avoid the glare of the nearly full moon.

“I would suggest that potential viewers try the last few hours before dawn on the 13th and 14th. At that time the moon will be low in the west and not such a nuisance,” Lunsford said.

The American Meteor Society estimates that the Geminids will produce up to 15 visible meteors per hour.

“The moon is going to be full on the 15th, about a day after the peak, so that moonlight is going to wash out the meteors,” Cooke said. “So, instead of seeing 40 to 60 meteors per hour, you’re going to see maybe 10 to 15 per hour because of that bright moonlight.”

Even with interference from the moon, more meteors will be visible during the Geminids’ peak than most nights throughout the year, according to the society.

It’s important to look for transparent skies, especially with a full moon approaching, said Lunsford. For instance, sky-gazers should avoid beaches where the skies tend to be hazy and instead find a mountaintop.

What are the Geminids?

The Geminids are made up of debris released from the asteroid 3200 Phaethon. The celestial object’s close orbit around the sun causes it to shed particles due to the extreme heat, leaving a stream of meteors around the entire orbit, according to Lunsford. During the first two weeks of December, Earth passes close to the asteroid’s orbit, allowing us to see the Geminids.

The meteors will appear to come from the direction of the Gemini constellation, which rises in the east, according to The Planetary Society.

“At this time of year, the constellation of Gemini lies low in the east at sunset, is overhead at 2 in the morning and sets in the western sky as the sun rises,” Lunsford said. “That’s why the Geminid meteors can be seen all night long.”

The easiest way to spot the Geminids is to trace the meteors back to the two brightest stars in Gemini. But there is a 90% chance that every meteor you see on Friday night and Saturday morning belongs to the Geminid shower, Lunsford said.

The next and final major annual meteor shower of 2024 will be the Ursids, which are set to peak in the early morning hours of December 22, according to EarthSky.

CNN’s Ashley Strickland contributed to this report.