The last meteor shower of the year will light up the skies above County Durham and the rest of the North East this week, giving stargazers a chance to see one final cosmic coloured display before the 2024 celestial calendar begins.

This meteor shower is known for putting on an unforgettable show as we could potentially see up to 150 meteors per hour but where does it get its name from?

Go Stargazing explains: “Named after the constellation Gemini from which the meteors appear to radiate the Geminids are a product of debris left over from asteroid '3200 Phaethon'.

“Geminids are renowned for their bright display and sometimes appear as green flashes due to the material they are made up of.”

According to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Geminids are unusual as they can be multi-coloured – mainly white, some yellow and a few green, red and blue.

When will the Geminid meteor shower peak in County Durham?

This annual Geminid meteor shower usually takes place from December 4-16 but it is expected to peak around 7.30pm on Thursday, December 14 and will be visible until the early morning of December 15.

Where to see Geminid meteor shower on Thursday night in County Durham

Here is a map showing some of the best places to watch a meteor shower in County Durham, according to Go Stargazing:

You can see the full list of all stargazing locations and events across County Durham on the Go Stargazing website.

If you can’t head out to any of the above locations, the experts recommend: “The best places to see them will be somewhere away from our light-polluted towns at a location that has a wide open expanse of skies free of obstructions on the horizons.

“Rather than staring at any single point use your peripheral vision to scan as much of the sky as possible and your eyes will be automatically drawn to any shooting stars.

“As always wherever you choose to go first tell someone where you are going, wrap up warm, take some hot drinks and be patient!”

For the best chance of spotting the Geminids, viewers should lie flat on their backs with feet facing south, allowing for the best view of the sky.