If you can brave the colder nights now that we’re in December, we’ve got another sky show coming our way later this week.
The shower actually began on November 19th and will run through December 24th, peaking during the predawn hours this coming Sunday morning.
Unlike most meteor showers that are caused by leftover debris from comets, the Geminids are caused by leftover debris from the asteroid 3200 Phaethon. So, what’s the difference? Well, a comet is like a dirty snowball, a rocky core covered by a layer of ice. An asteroid is just rock.
Meteor showers are named for the location of their radiant, the spot where the shooting stars appear to emanate from. That happens to be near the constellation Gemini.
If you’re interested in viewing the peak, the best viewing will be from midnight Saturday night into the early morning hours Sunday. A rural location is favored, or one that’s away from city lights. Give your eyes time to acclimate to the darkness, about 20 to 30 minutes. Look upward, toward the east. Under ideal conditions, you can see up to 120 meteors per hour. Visibility won’t be hindered by moonlight with the moon in a waning crescent phase, but there could be some cloud cover…