Now playing overhead: The dramatic Geminid Meteor Shower, which
many astronomers agree is the best meteor shower of the year.
The Geminid Meteor Shower is forecast to peak late
Thursday/early Friday Dec. 13-14, between around 10 p.m. and
sunrise, at your local time, in North America. If you can’t stay
up that late, not to worry — astronomers tell us that some
meteors should be visible as soon as darkness hits. In addition,
the shower lasts for days before and after the peak date, and
there have already been reports from around the world of people
spotting many spectacular fireball-like celestial streaks in
just minutes. This year’s shower coincides with a new moon, so
the sky should be extra dark for excellent viewing. NASA
scientists, like Bill Cooke of the NASA Meteoroid Environment
Office, predict a fantastic show, aided by the possible
appearance of a second, newly discovered meteor shower. What is
a meteor shower? Meteors occur when the Earth passes through
streams of dust and debris from ancient comets