Sydney stargazers, this one’s for you. If you choose one night this year to bring your couch cushions outside and set up in a horizontal position in the hope of catching a shooting star, go with Saturday, December 14 – when the biggest meteor shower of 2024 will be lighting up the sky. The Geminids meteor shower sees 150 shooting stars soaring overhead every hour – making it the biggest meteor shower of the year (out-shining the recent Leonid meteor shower). Although theoretically 150 stars will be shooting through the sky, with the conditions predicted for this year's shower, an estimated 50 stars per hour will light up the sky. Still, we'd say that's enough of an excuse to skip the underground bar in favour of a more open-air situation.
If you’re ready to take your stargazing to the next level, turn to Dimitri Douchin and Caroline Boulom: the owners of Blue Mountains Stargazing and Jervis Bay Stargazing, who are offering a special stargazing session in a secret location in the Blue Mountains on Friday, December 13.
A TED speaker with a PhD in astrophysics and experience working with Indigenous communities as a cultural astronomer at Western Sydney University, Dimitri has next-level wisdom when it comes to what’s going on in the sky. Quiz him about black holes or planet rings or the space-time continuum and he’ll offer back an informed, digestible answer. An evening with Dimitri is like a personal astrophysics seminar, with a direct line to Saturn and Jupiter (both will be visible through telescopes on December 13) and certified delicious hot chocolate.
The Geminids stargazing experience will involve an explanation of the science behind meteor showers, constellation storytelling, laser-guided naked-eye astronomy, and access to telescopes and binoculars to catch a crystal-clear glimpse of the planets and star explosions suspended in the sky.
Tickets for adults and children can be booked over here.
Want to make a weekend of it? Check out our guide to the best cafes and restaurants in the Blue Mountains.