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Phoenix666 writes:

Time to get the telescopes out:

If it's clear Wednesday night and Thursday before dawn, keep a lookout high overhead for the "shooting stars" of the Geminid meteor shower. That's the peak night for this annual display.

Sky & Telescope magazine predicts that, if you are viewing under a clear, dark sky, you might see a Geminid meteor every minute or two, on average, from 10 p.m. local time on December 13th until dawn on December 14th.

"The Geminids are usually one of the two best meteor showers of the year," says Alan MacRobert, senior editor at Sky & Telescope. "Sometimes they're more impressive than the better-known Perseids of August."

If it's cloudy on the night of the peak, some Geminid meteors should still be visible for a few nights before and after the peak. If you live under the artificial skyglow of light pollution, you'll see fewer meteors overall, but the brightest ones will shine through. This year there'll be no interference from a thin waning crescent moon, which doesn't rise until after 3 a.m.

takyon: The parent body of the Geminid meteor shower, the 5.1 km asteroid 3200 Phaethon, will make its closest approach to Earth on December 16 at about 0.0689 AU. It won't come closer until the year 2093.

The Mysterious Asteroid Behind the Year's Best Meteor Shower

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