Winter Geminid Meteor Shower May be the Best Sky Show of the Year

The Geminids are set to light up the skies this December, and may just be one the best night sky events of the year. From December 13 to 15, you should be able to spot the "shooting stars."

At its peak and in a clear, dark sky, tens of meteors may be visible each hour. In fact, the theoretical maximum under ideal conditions is about 120 an hour.

Meteors are the result of small particles entering Earth's atmosphere and burning up and superheating the air around them. These particles shin as a characteristic short-lived streak of light-what is commonly known as a shooting star.

In this case, the debris is associated with the asteroidal object 3200 Phaethon, which many astronomers believe to be an extinct comet. However, the meteor shower is called the "Geminid meteor shower" since the meteors appear to originate from a "radiant" point in the constellation Gemini.

This shower should be pretty spectacular, weather permitting. This is largely because the moon will not be present in the sky for most of the night during the period of maximum activity. This means that the prospects for a good view of the shower are excellent. Unlike many astronomical phenomena, meteors are best seen without a telescope and are perfectly safe to watch with the naked eye.

"A good meteor shower is a spectacular sight," said Martin Barstow, President of the Royal Astronomical Society in a news release. "If you have clear skies, there are few better and easier ways to get an impression of the dynamism of the universe we live in, and how Earth is directly connected to the events in the rest of the solar system."

Remember to look up, watch and wait for the meteor shower happening soon.

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