The annual Geminid Meteor shower takes place Dec. 13th and 14th, and it's going to be a site to see. Around 100 meteors per hour can be seen during these peak dates.
The Geminid meteor shower is caused by Earth passing through the debris left behind from an asteroid known as 3200 Phaethon. This is different because most meteor showers are caused by Earth passing through the debris trail of comets. Actually, astronomers are discussing the idea of calling 3200 Phaethon's debris trail a "rock comet" because it gets very close to the sun...and the sun's heat scorches dusty debris off its rocky surface. That dusty debris develops into a comet-like "rocky" tail. However, more dialogue & research is being done on the "rock comet" term.
None-the-less, whatever you call it...it remains an awesome meteor shower. All you have to do to catch a glimpse is look up (away from city lights) on the predawn mornings of Dec. 13th & 14th. The western sky is a great starting point, but you shouldn't have any problems seeing a good show no matter what part of the sky you look in during the predawn hours on the peak dates.
Happy Meteor Gazing...
Meteorologist Deitra Tate
Image is courtesy of National Geographic
