Looking for holiday lights? Check out the December 2012 Geminid Meteor shower Thursday and Friday. This fantastic light show peaks tonight.
The Geminid meteor shower is one of the best sky shows of the year. The Geminids present about 100 meteors per hour, which means stargazers will have a good chance of seeing a shooting star. The show peaks through the night of December 13 through the early morning of December 14.
In addition to this, there may be a bonus meteor shower which will give viewers an even greater chance of seeing something.
"Meteors from the new shower (if any) will be visible in the early evening, with the Geminids making their appearance later on and lasting until dawn," Bill Cooke, head of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office, said in a statement, according to Space.com
The Geminids get their name from the Gemini constellation, from which they seem to come from. The meteors are viewed as the Earth flows through debris from the 3200 Phaethon asteroid. This is a rare occurence as meteor showers are usually caused by comet debris.
The earth may also pass through debris from the Wirtanen comet, which would present a new meteor shower. This potential bonus meteor shower could produce 30 meteors per hour. The meteors may be called the Piscids as they will appear to come from the Pisces constellation.
The Geminids can be seen as soon as after sunset on December 13 but the best time to view them it at it's peak of 2 a.m. - 3 a.m. The moon will be in its new phase so their won't be much glare to interfere with the stunning star show.
To watch the meteor shower, no tools are needed. Simply find a dark area without lights or obstacles like trees, and look up. The best way to this this is to lie down on a blanket or a chair so you don't strain your neck.
Although the show peaks tonight, you might be able to catch some shooting stars from the Geminids until December 16.
If you would like to watch a live video of the Geminids from NASA, Click Here.
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